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REPORT 



OF 



BOAED OF OFFICEES 



TO CONSIDER AN 



EXPEDITION FOR THE RELIEF OF LIEUT. GREELY 

AND PARTY. 



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BY AUTHORITY OF THE SECRETARY OF THE NAVY. 




WASHINGTON: 

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE. 

1884. 



Room, Board of Officers, Considering^ 

Relief Expedition to Lieut. Greely 

and party at lady franklin bay, 
Washington, D. (7., January 22, 1884. 

Gentlemen: I have the honor to inclose herewith the report of the 
Board of Officers, created by Executive Order, dated December 17th, 
1883, for the purpose of considering a relief expedition to be sent to 
Lieutenant Greely and party at Lady Franklin Bay. 

The Board has been informed that in accordance with its invitation, 
communicated through the Department of State, Captain Sir George 
S. Nares, and other officers of the British Navy, have kindly signified 
their willingness to submit their views upon the proposed expedition. 

The Board is also in daily expectation of receiving information, in 
response to its inquiries, in regard to the possibility of obtaining skin 
clothing for use on the proposed expedition. So soon as responses from 
Captain Nares and in regard to clothing shall have been received, I 
shall have the honor to transmit the formal minutes of proceedings of 
the Board, the exhibits referred to therein, and any other communica- 
tions that may be received in the mean time. ^ 

I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant, J ^ 

W. B. HAZEN, M M 

Brig, and Bvt. Maj. GenH, ^ 
Chief Signal Officer, U. S. A., President of the Board. 

The Hons. Secretary of War and 

Secretary of the Navy. 



KEPORT 

OF 

Board of Officers considering the Relief Expedi- 
tion to Lieutenant Greely and his party 
at Lady Franklin Bay. 



Washington, D. C, January 22, 1884. 
To the Honorable.?, 

The Secretary of War and 

The Secretary of the Navy: 
Gentlemen : The Board of Officers, convened by Executive order 
dated December 17, 1883, for the purpose of considering an expedition 
to be sent to the relief of Lieutenant Greely and party at Lady Franklin 
Bay, has the honor to submit the following report : 

PRELIMINARY. 

Before giving an expression of opinion upon the subject under con- 
sideration, the Board considers it necessary to state briefly, its general 
views as to the character and magnitude of the undertaking. 

It appears from the records of the War Department that have been 
submitted to the Board, and which will be found in the Appendix 
(Exhibit M), that on the 13th and 14th days of August, 1881, Lieut. 
A. W. Greely, 5th (J. S. Cavalry, in command of a force of two officers 
and twenty-two soldiers, citizens, and Esquimaux, landed from the 
steamer " Proteus " at Discovery Harbor, Lady Franklin Bay ; this force 
constituting what is known as the Lady Franklin Bay Expedition. 

This expedition was authorized by act of Congress approved May 1st, 
1880, and legislation relating to its maintenance is to be found in the 
appropriations for Sundry Civil Expenses of the Government, approved 
March 3, 1881. 

SUBSISTENCE. 

It also appears from the records referred to, that this expeditionary 
force was furnished with articles of subsistence stores — the components 
of the Army ration or their equivalents — for three years. Of beans, 
coffee, sugar, and salt, a supply for about four and a half years was 
issued. Besides the articles composing the ordinary Army ration, there 
was supplied a very extensive assortment of canned fruits, vegetables, 
pickles, sauces, condiments, anti-scorbutics, and butter, which would 
probably be equal to another year's supply of food for this party. 



1 REPORT. 

On the L5th of August, L881, Lieutenant Greely reported to the Chief 
Signal Officer that his "general cargo was discharged", including 
about one hundred and forty tons of coal. 

On the 18th of August Lieutenant Greely mentions that he had 
already succeeded in collecting " three full months' rations of musk 
cattle". 

EQUIPMENT. 

Lor the purpose of carrying on exploration and effecting retreat, this 
expedition was furnished with a Navy steam-launch and three other 
boats adapted to the navigation of Smith Sound. Lieutenant Greely 
also knew that at Thank God Harbor. Polaris Bay, on the coast of Green- 
land, twenty.-eight miles distant, was a serviceable ice-boat left there 
by the English expedition, and near Gape Sumner, at the mouth of 
Newman Bay, some thirty-eight miles distant, was a whale-boat, left 
there by the U. S. Steamer "Polaris" in 1872. 

About seven miles from the Signal station exists a deposit of free- 
burning coal, in unlimited quantities, for the procurement of which 
implements were supplied. 

Lieutenant Greely's detachment is quartered in comfortable wooden 
dwellings, affording ample accommodations for his party, and on the 
25th of August he reports the construction of the buildings as very 
nearly completed. 

ORDER 8 AND CORRESPONDENCE. 

The vessel transporting Lieutenant Greely to Lady Franklin Bay 
sailed thence on the 25th of August, 1881, and since that date no news 
has been received from the expedition. 

In the orders and instructions to Lieutenant Greely from the Chief 
Signal Officer of the Army, dated June 17, 1881, is found the following : 

It is contemplated that the permanent station shall be visited in 1S82 and in 1883 by 
a steam scaler, or other vessel, by which supplies for, and such additions to, the present 
party as are deemed needful will be sent. In case such vessel is unable to reach Lady 
Franklin Bay in L882, she will cache* a portion of her supplies and all of her letters and 
dispatches at the most northerly point she attains on the east side of Grinnell Land 
and establish a small depot of supplies at Littleton Island. 

Notices of the locality of such depots will be left at one or all of the following 
places, viz: Cape Hawks. Cape Sabine and Cape Isabella. In case no vessel reaches 
the permanent station in 1 VV L'. t lie vessel sent in 1883 will remain in Smith Sound 
until there is danger of its closing by ice. and. on leaving, will land all her supplies and 
a party at Littleton island, which party will be prepared for a wi liter's stay and will be 
instructed to send sledge parties up the cast side of Grinnell Land to meet this party. 
If not visited in 1882, Lieutenant Greely will abandon his'station not later than Sep- 
tember 1. l v ^-'>. and will retreat southward by boat, following closely the east side of 
Grinnell Land, until the relieving vessel is met or Littleton Island is reached. 

Lieutenant Greedy in his report to the Chief Signal Officer dated 
August L5, L881, and previously referred to, states as follows: "In 
my opinion a retreat from here southward to Cape Sabine, in case no 
vessel peaches us in 1882 or in 1883, will be safe and practicable, 
although all but the most important records will necessarily have to be 
abandoned". 

DEPOSITS OF PROVISIONS. 

It appears that Lieutenant Greely, before leaving the United States, 
was aware of the existence of certain deposits of provisions left by 

* T 1 1 • • stores which composed tin* cache wen- such, in quantity ami variety, a- were suggested by Lieu- 
tenant Greely in letter to tin- Chief Signal Officer, dated August 17, 1881, (Exhibit 



KEPORT. 5 

previous expeditions to Smith Sound, the most important having been 
made by Sir George S. Nares, commanding the English expedition of 
1875-6. 

A deposit consisting of two hundred and fifty rations was left in 1875 
at Cape Colli nsoo, at an estimated distance from Lieutenant Greely's 
station of one hundred and thirty-seven miles. The same expedition left 
a depot at Cape Hawks, fifty miles further to the southward, consisting 
of bread, pickles, and preserved potatoes; this cache was examined by 
Greely while en-route to his destination. A deposit of two hundred 
and forty rations was also made by Nares near Cape Sabine, another 
at Cape Morton, a»nd about one hundred and fifty pounds of meat at 
Cape Isabella, but these stores were not examined by Greely, neither 
did he see those at Cape Collinson. While en-route to his station, 
Greely made a deposit of two hundred and twenty -five bread and meat 
rations at Carl Ritter Bay, seventy-five miles south of Lady Franklin 
Bay. He also deposited six and one-half tons of coal at Littleton 
Island, and knew that at the Ca^ Islands were 1,800 rations left by 
Nares in 1875. At Lincoln Bay Nares also left a large depot; but 
these stores would be available only for exploring parties operating to 
the northward of Discovery Harbor. 

It is well known that the supply expedition sent out by the War 
Department in 1882, found the entrance to Smith Sound blocked by ice, 
and the vessel was unable to communicate with the Signal station. A 
deposit of two hundred and fifty rations, a small quantity of fuel, 
together with a boat, was, however, made near Cape Sabine. A 
boat was also left at Cape Isabella, some twenty-five miles to the 
southward of Sabine. By the same expedition two hundred and fifty 
rations were cached at Littleton Island. It is understood that all these 
supplies were fairly well protected. 

The relief expedition of 1883, commanded by Lieutenant Garling- 
ton, was unable to accomplish its mission, the steamer " Proteus " hav- 
ing been crushed by the ice near the entrance to Smith Sound. A 
considerable quantity of supplies, approximating five hundred rations, 
and a large quantity of clothing, was, however, landed near Cape 
Sabine, and are available for the use of Lieutenant Greely's party, 
should he retreat to that point. 

NAVIGATION OF SMITH SOUND. 

It is well known that the navigation of Smith Sound is, at almost 
all times, difficult and dangerous. The season of 1881 appears to have 
been exceptionally favorable and open, as evidenced by the fact 
that the "Proteus" was able to reach her destination in a period of 
eight days from the date of leaving Littleton Island. The expedition 
of Sir George S. Nares, in 1875, consisting of two powerful steamships, 
was twenty-eight days in passing over the same route, and twenty-five 
days in returning to Littleton Island in 1876. 

It will be seen from the instructions previously quoted, that Lieuten- 
ant Greely had considerable discretion as to the date when he should 
vacate his station. He was required to abandon it " not later than 
September 1, 1883". 

The experience of all explorers of Smith Sound shows that the most 
favorable season for navigating those waters by boat is in the month of 
August. If Lieutenant Greely left his station early iu that mouth — 
which his instructions warranted him in doing — there is a reasonable 



(i REPORT. 

probability that lie succeeded in reaching the entrance to Smith Sound, 
but it may be regarded as extremely doubtful, did lie delay his departure 

until September 1st, that the conditions would permit him to effect a 
retreat. Be had already spent two winters at Discovery Harbor, and 
although there is no reason to believe the health of his detachment had 
been greatly impaired by his long residence in that rigorous climate, yet 
the Board considers it necessary to assume that either through impaired 
health or possible loss of boats and other means of transportation, he 
was unable to abandon his station as was contemplated. The Board, 
therefore, is of opinion that the relief expedition to be organized, and 
which is now under consideration, should have su/m an equipment 
that in any event it will be able to reach Lady Franklin Bay. 

If Lieutenant Greely has successfully effected his retreat to Cape 
Sabine, or to the coast of Greenland adjacent to the entrance of Smith 
Sound, the work of relief will be vastly simplified. 

Did he arrive at Littleton Island by the loth of August, he would 
probably retreat to Qpernavik, the northernmost Danish settlement in 
Greenland, and it is within the bounds of possibility that the Lady 
Franklin Bay party is now there in safety. But to assume such a 
probability is entirely unwarranted, for all the conditions must have 
been even more than extraordinarily favorable to have permitted such 
a result. 

If the organization and dispatch of a relief expedition were to be 
deferred until the season is so far advanced as to permit communication 
with the Greenland settlements, it would be impossible in the present 
year to visit Lady Franklin Bay, or even Littleton Island, and the chance 
of ever effecting the rescue of the party would be very greatly impaired. 

The conditions and difficulties which are to be met in effecting 
the rescue are, fortunately, entirely dissimilar to those which had 
to be encountered when the Franklin search began. The "Ere- 
bus" and "Terror," when last heard from in 1845, were about to 
sail into a region almost unknown to civilized men, and of immense 
extent. That the search for these lost ships and their crews should 
have occupied so many years and required so many ships and land 
expeditions is not surprising when we consider the vast area covered 
by the search, but the work now under consideration is surrounded with 
no doubts or uncertainties as to the locality of Lieutenant Greely. 

The Franklin search, extending from 1848 to 1850, and employing 
some forty ships at various times, cost the English government many 
million pounds sterling. But under the most unfavorable conditions 
that can be named, the Board believes two properly equipped vessels 
will certainly be able to achieve success, and rescue the Lady Franklin 
Bay party. 

RECOMMENDATIONS. 

The Board, by the terms of the Executive order creating it, is 
required to make recommendations under the following heads, viz : 

1. Transportation and Equipment. 

2. Control and Conduct. 

3. Organization of Personnel. 

TRANSPOKTATION AND EQUIPMENT. 

Although a single vessel might be able to reach Discovery Harbor 
and return in a single season, as did the "Proteus" in 1881, yet all 



REPORT. 7 

familiar with the navigation of Smith Sound agree that the seasons 
favoring such free navigation come at long intervals, and it is quite 
certain that in some seasons the strongest vessel ever built would be 
able to proceed but a short distance into Smith Sound. But four 
steam vessels have ever reached Kennedy Channel. One of them, the 
"Polaris", as is well known, was drifted out in an ice-pack and lost 
near Littleton Island, and another, the "Proteus", which in 1881 suc- 
ceeded in reaching Lady Franklin Bay, in 1883 was crushed by the ice 
near Cape Sabine. On several occasions the vessels under the command 
of Sir George S. Nares were in imminent danger of being destroyed. 
In 1876, the "Pandora", under the command of Captain Allen Young, 
an experienced Arctic navigator, struggled from the 3d to the 28th of 
August in vain endeavors to effect an entrance to Smith Sound, but 
was unable to reach Cape Sabine, or any position above latitude 78° 
45' N., twenty-five miles north of Littleton Island. In 1882, the "Nep- 
tune" was engaged in similar fruitless efforts from the 28th of July to 
the 5th of September, but never advanced beyond 79° 20' N., or about 
seventy-five miles above Littleton Island. 

In view of all the facts in the case, the Board is of the opinion that 
the relieving expedition should consist of two vessels, each supplied 
for a cruise of two years, not only for its own crew but for the crew 
of the other ship, and those composing Lieutenant Greely's party at 
Lady Franklin Bay. Should one of these vessels be lost, even at the 
outset, the other would be able to continue' her efforts for the rescue, 
and at the same time render succor to the crew of the less fortunate 
ship. As it may occur that these vessels, if successful in reaching Dis- 
covery Harbor the first season, will be unable to extricate themselves 
and return to the United States, they should be provisioned and pre- 
pared for wintering in the ice. 

In the opinion of the Board, the best ships obtainable for the work 
in hand are the Scotch "whalers" or the Newfoundland "sealers". 
The "Proteus" and "Neptune" were of this latter class. The Dundee 
whaling fleet, consisting of some twelve vessels, are built with special 
reference to Arctic navigation; their cruising grounds are in Melville 
and Baffin Bays and adjacent waters, where extensive ice-floes are always 
encountered. 

When organizing the Nares' expedition in 1875 (the most completely 
equipped and appointed Arctic expedition that ever sailed from any 
port, costing, it has been stated, a million dollars), the English Govern- 
ment purchased one of these whalers, known subsequently as the "Dis- 
covery", and she was regarded by Captain Nares as a better ship than 
the "Alert", an English naval vessel, specially strengthened and fitted 
for that voyage. 

So far as the Board has been able to ascertain, there are on the Atlan- 
tic coast of the United States at the present time no American ships 
suitable for the purpose, and it is believed impracticable for any Amer- 
ican ship-builder to build and equip vessels adapted to the work in hand 
by the time they should start. 

In reaching this conclusion, the Board has given due weight to the 
opinions expressed to it by ship-builders, that thoroughly constructed 
vessels can be built in the United States and ready to proceed on their 
voyage by the 1st of May. But in an emergency where human life is 
at stake, it is thought to be unwise to place reliance upon the ability of 
a ship-builder, no matter how well equipped or reliable, to complete his 
contract for two vessels by a date which should find this relief expedi- 
tion on its way. 



8 REPORT. 

The Board, therefore, recommends the immediate purchase of two full- 
powered steam whalers or sealers of from five-hundred to six-hundred 
tons, and that they be brought to a navy-yard of the United States, and 
properly fitted for the service intended. These alterations will consist 
principally of modifications in the accommodations for officers and crew, 
and in the addition of materials to give greater strength. 

ADVANCE VESSEL. 

Considering the contingency of delay from some unforeseen cause in 
the sailing of the expedition, it may be deemed advisable to procure and 
have fitted an advance ship, to be dispatched in time to reach the Danish 
settlements previous to the date which the Board has named as that on 
which the relief vessels should assemble at Upernavik. In the con- 
tingency of the delay of the other ships, this advance vessel passing 
through Davis Strait, Baffin and Melville Bays at the earliest possible 
moment — taking more risks than should the relief ships — may be able 
to rescue the party should they have effected a retreat to the entrance 
of Smith Sound or to the Danish settlements. 

In this connection, the Board would invite attention to the communi- 
cations addressed to the Secretary of the Treasury, dated November 4 
and December 29, 1883, and that to Senator Miller, of California, dated 
January 4, 1884, signed by Captain Hooper of the U. S. Eevenue Marine 
(Exhibit O), in which will -be found suggestions that a U. S. Eevenue 
cutter be fitted for service in the Arctic Ocean and dispatched in search 
of Lieutenant Greely. 

It appears to the Board from these communications, that possibly 
a valuable auxiliary to the relief expedition could thus be secured at 
a small cost, by the employment of one of the vessels of the Eevenue 
Marine, provided such vessel was properly fitted for the necessities of 
the service. 

SUGGESTIONS. 

The following suggestions are made, and it is recommended that all 
supplies be prepared under the personal supervision of the officers 
attached to the expedition, who should also supervise the modifications 
to the ships, construction of boats, sleds, &c. : 

BOATS. 

In case the vessels should be stopped by ice or meet disaster, it will 
become necessary to resort to combined boat and sledge journeys over 
ice and water. A thorough equipment of boats and sleds will, there- 
fore, be required. Each of these vessels should be supplied with the 
following boats : 

One steam whale-boat. 

Two ordinary whale-boats about twenty-eight feet long. 

Two ordinary whale-boats about twenty -four feet long. 

One dingy (for two pairs of sculls). 

One balsa. 

One oomiak (if obtainable in Greenland). 

In addition to the above, the Board would recommend that the expe- 
dition should be supplied with one of " White's" steam life cutters. 
The "Herreschoff" steam whale-boat, such as is used by the American 
whalers in the Pacific Ocean, the Board believes might be of very 



REPORT. 9 

great use, even when the vessels are unable to proceed, for it 
sometimes happens that an ice-barrier but a few miles in width 
prevents the further progress of a ship; under such circumstances 
a " Herreschoff " steam whale-boat could be hauled across and 
launched in open water beyond, where the navigation was free. The 
other whale-boats should be built after the New Bedford pattern, as 
light as is consistent with strength and the rough usage they are to 
receive.' The balsa, built with special adaptation to the work in hand, 
the Board believes may be of very great utility. The oomialc, or skin- 
boat, is used very effectively by the natives in navigating the water 
leads. in Arctic regions; it is very light and will transport a very large 
number of persons. 

SLEDS. 

Two sixteen feet sleds, and 

Two eight feet sleds, similar to those supplied the il Proteus" last 
year. 

SHELTER ON SHORE. 

On board of each vessel there should be material for the construc- 
tion of a house ready to be put up on shore. 

DOGS. 

The supply of dogs in Greenland is, at best, uncertain. It is in evi- 
dence that of those (forty-two in number) taken by Lieutenant Greely, 
at the date of his last report, all but eleven had died of some epidemic 
disease. It is therefore recommended that at least sixty dogs, obtain- 
able either in the region of Pembina and Mackinaw, or in Labrador, 
should compose a part of the equipment of the vessels. 

It is also recommended that a naval vessel or tender be provided and 
proceed as far as Littleton Island or Cape Sabine for the purpose of 
contributing supplies for the use of the relief vessels, and to aid in any 
way the efforts to rescue Lieutenant Greely. It is not proposed that 
this vessel shall winter in the ice — her crew should be reduced to a 
minimum and supplied with provisions for eight months. All avail- 
able space in the ship to be filled with coals. 

In case the relief vessels are obliged to winter in Smith Sound, the 
naval tender, or auxiliary ship, will bring to the United States intel- 
ligence of their progress. 

PROVISIONS. 

It is recommended that the expedition be provisioned in accordance 
with the schedule as to variety and quantity which governed in out- 
fitting the relief vessel " Rodgers", which sailed from San Francisco on 
June 16, 1881, and those which governed in the provisioning of Lieu- 
tenant Greely \s party, and that stationed for two years at Point Barrow 
under the command of Lieutenant Ray, U. S. Army. It has been stated 
that the provisions supplied to the expeditions named were the best 
that could possibly be procured for any Arctic expedition. (Exhibit Q.) 

MEDICAL OUTFIT. 

It is recommended that the medical equipment of the expedition be 
made up in accordance with the schedules of similar supplies furnished 



10 REPORT. 

to the relief ship " Rodgers", to the U. S. Signal station at Point Bar- 
row, Alaska, and to the Lady Franklin Bay Expedition, all outfitted in 
L881. (Exhibit R.) 

Attention is respectfully invited to the able and interesting paper 
(Exhibit K.) prepared at the instance of the Board by Surgeon-Gen- 
eral Philip S. Wales, l T . S. Navy, and it is advised that the command- 
ing officer of the expedition observe, as far as practicable, the suggest- 
ions contained in this paper, not only in outfitting the vessels, but in 
the steps to be taken to insure the health and comfort of the men under 
his command. 

CLOTHTNG. 

Head -(/cay. — Woolen caps and fur caps to cover the ears, neck, and 
chin; the latter with side extensions to cover the face, if necessary. 

Hand-year. — Woolen mitts; leather mitts, for use on deck; fur mitts, 
having transverse slit at the wrist, and with cufl's. 

Foot-gear. — Cotton woolen-lined stockings reaching above the knees, 
re-enforced at the heel with chamois leather; blanket wrappers; moc- 
casins witli Leggings ;" spare half soles of non-conducting material for 
use with moccasins and for boots; tanned leather fishermen's boots for 
use on deck; water-proof preparation for same; fur stockings; fur 
boots; slippers of thick material, and rubber sandals having rough 
soles. 

Body -covering. — Best thick merino or red flannel underwear; closely 
knit jumpers, extending just below the hip ; thick cloth trousers ; light 
canvas working suits, with blanket lining, if necessary, for summer 
work; fur jumpers with hoods; fur trousers. 

All fur clothing to be made from reindeer skins, if possible; other- 
wise, from young calf-skins. 

SLEEPING-BAGS. 
Of reindeer skin, if obtainable; failing to secure that, of calf-skin. 

BERTHING. 

If practicable, a berth to be fitted for each man on board. 

HEATING. 

By steam, the pipes to be laid as near the decks as possible. 

WATER. 

A small distiller to be fitted in each ship, and distilled water to be 
used for cooking and drinking purposes. 

AUXILIARY BOILER. 

A small auxiliary boiler to be put up on the berth or spar deck; the 
bed for same should have an air space between it and the deck, to 
insure against fire. 

DECK HOUSE. 

Material for deck house to be prepared for use in case the ships should 



REPORT. 11 

winter north, to be put up in the fall. This house to be made double, 
with air-space on top and sides, to cover two or more hatches, and fitted 
with double doors, and to be lined with non-conducting material. 

STEAM WINCH. 

A steam winch to be placed on the spar deck for hoisting, warping, 
&c. 

EXPLOSIVES. 

Five-pound charges of gunpowder and gun-cotton, to be prepared for 
use in blasting. 

FIRE-ARMS. 

A supply of Springfield rifles for the expedition, and a proportion of 
breech-loading fowling pieces and the requisite ammunition. 

COAL. 

Each ship to be supplied with coal for thirty-five days' full steaming ; 
and with fifty tons of Anthracite coal for depots. For steaming pur- 
poses, the best quality of soft coal. 

METAL SURFACES. 

Metal surfaces in the living quarters to be covered with a non-con- 
ductor. 

TENTS. 

To be of blue "Denim", in size and arrangements similar to those 
prepared for the u Proteus " in 1883. 

PACKAGES. 

Each package to have stencilled on it the list of its contents. 

ESQUIMAUX, DOGS, AND CLOTHING. 

The advance vessel or expedition to carry a letter from the Danish 
Government directing the authorities in Greenland to aid the expedi- 
tion in obtaining hunters, clothing, boats, and dogs, should these animals 
be required. Timely request to the Government of Denmark should 
therefore be made. 

SUN SPECTACLES. 

Glass, wire, and hair goggles should be supplied. 

STIMULANTS. 

Wines and liquors, to be used for medicinal purposes only. Ordi- 
narily, it is believed that tea is preferable to coffee or cocoa. 

ICE TOOLS. 

Ice anchors, chisels, small picks, and drills. 



12 REPORT. 



GOODS FOR TRADING. 

A small supply likely to be useful to the Esquimaux, consisting of 
knives, carpenter's tools, matches, thread, needles, earthenware, &c. 

CONTKOL AND CONDUCT. 

As the means employed to reach Discovery Harbor must necessarily 
be of a nautical character, it is recommended that the control of the 
expedition be committed to the Navy Department. 

Should Lieutenant Greely have succeeded last autumn in effecting 
his retreat to Cape Sabine or Littleton Island, and supposing he has 
found a moderate supply of game in that region, he will necessarily, 
at the beginning of next summer, be very short of supplies. It there- 
fore seems indispensable that the expedition should be on the ground 
at the earliest possible date. 

Experience has shown that the navigation of Baffin and Melville Bays 
may be practicable at a date as early as the 1st of June. There is no 
record of a vessel having passed Cape York, north point of Melville 
Bay, earlier than the date given. The relief ships should therefore 
arrive at Upernavik, the northernmost Danish settlement in Greenland, 
not later than the 15th of May, and no opportunity lost to communicate 
with the natives at Cape York at the earliest moment, so as to obtain 
intelligence of Lieutenant Greely if possible. 

The vessels should therefore be fitted and in complete readiness so 
that they may arrive at Upernavik on the date named. 

GENERAL PROGRAMME. 

The following general programme for the movement of the vessels is 
suggested as the one which will be most likely to result successfully, but 
it should be remarked that a wide discretion should be given the officer 
in command, for, as he will be held responsible, wide latitude should be 
allowed. The problem of reaching Lady Franklin Sound in a steamer 
from Cape Sabine can only be solved by the exercise of skillful seaman- 
ship combined with good judgment, unless Smith Sound should be 
found to be comparatively free from ice. 

1. The two relief vessels, designated Nos. 1 and 2, to proceed in com- 
pany to Saint John's, Newfoundland, fill up with coal and fresh pro- 
visions ; thence to Disco, and, if necessary, to Upernavik; thence to 
Littleton Island, communicating with the natives at, and north of, Cape 
York. 

2. The first depot to be established on Littleton Island (before pro- 
ceeding north of that locality), or in the immediate vicinity, as may 
seem best to the commander of the expedition — to consist of one of the 
houses, fifty tons of coal, the steam life cutter, one whale-boat, and pro- 
visions and clothing for the entire party for one year. The house, coal, 
provisions, whale-boat, and clothing for" this depot to be taken from No. 
1 ; an officer or a petty officer and two men, to be left in charge of the 
depot. 

After leaving Littleton Island and reaching the ice-barrier, the design 
of the expedition would be for No. 1 to take the first favorable oppor- 
tunity to push to the northward, leaving No. 2 to serve as a base to fall 
back upon in case of disaster, or for a second attempt to reach Lady 
Franklin Sound. 



REPORT. 13 

3. No. 2 not to enter the ice-paek, but to manoeuvre constantly to 
the southward of it, or to anchor in the immediate vicinity ; to be ready 
to land a second main depot of provisions to consist of the same amount 
of material proposed for the first, but to include two whale-boats, in 
case No. 2 be required to proceed north in the event of disaster to No. 1. 

4. Should Smith Sound be comparatively open, No. 1 should advance 
to the northward forming small depots at Washington Irving Island, 
and the vicinity of Cape Oollinson and Carl Eitter Bay. No. 2, after 
forming a small depot of supplies at Cape Sabine, to proceed as far 
north as Dobbin Bay, beyond which point she should not advance 
unless the prolonged absence of No. 1 should give rise to the apprehen- 
sion of her loss. 

5. Should No. 1 be crushed or disabled, No. 2, before attempting to 
advance north, should land her house, two boats, and supplies for the 
whole party for one year, in the vicinity of Dobbin Bay. 

6. Should neither vessel be crushed, and should neither succeed in 
communicating with Lady Franklin Sound, one should winter, in Frank- 
lin Pierce Bay, and the other in the vicinity of Littleton Island. 

7. On the way north the coast to be examined from Cape York to 
Cape Ohlsen on the east side and from Cape Isabella to Cape Sabine 
on the west. Cairns should be erected containing notices of the move- 
ments and intentions of the relief expedition at Conical Rock, Wols- 
tenholme Island, Cary Islands, Hakluyt Island, Cape Isabella, and 
Cape Sabine. 

8. The whalers from Dundee and the sealers from Newfoundland to 
be requested to keep a lookout on the ice-floes for Lieutenant Greely's 
party. 

9. The naval vessel, or tender, to go as far as Littleton Island or 
Cape Sabine. 

PERSONNEL. 

As the relieving vessels may be detained for one or more winters in 
the ice, the complement of each ship should be reduced to a minimum, 
in order to give each man abundant air space. The crew should con- 
sist only of useful men, fitted for the rigorous service before them, be- 
tween the ages of twenty-four and thirty-seven years. Preference 
should be given to seamen of American birth, and all subjected to a 
rigorous medical examination. The crew of each vessel should be made 
up in accordance with the following list: 

COMPLEMENT OF EACH SHIP. 

1 commanding officer ; 

3 line officers ; 

1 medical officer; 
1 engineer officer ; 
1 ice master ; 

4 petty officers; 
10 seamen; 

1 machinist; 

1 boiler-maker; 

1 blacksmith; 

1 carpenter's mate ; 

3 firemen ; 

1 captain of hold and yeoman ; 



14 REPORT. 

1 ship's cook; 
1 officer's cook ; 

1 officer's steward j 

2 Esquimaux, or men to drive dogs and hunt; aggregating in all 
thirty-four persons. 

ICE MASTERS 

Should be men familiar with the navigation of Melville Bay and 
Baffin Bay. 

DOG DRIVERS. 

If dogs are procured from the northwestern portion of the United 
States or from Manitoba, a sufficient number of men accustomed to 
driving these dogs should be taken. If they are gotten in Greenland 
the same rule should be observed. 

COST OF EXPEDITION. 

Although not specially directed to make any estimation of the cost of 
the relief expedition, yet the Board would respectfully submit the fol- 
lowing 

ESTIMATE : 

Two steam sealers or whalers, if purchased after sealing trip $227, 480 

Alterations and additions to the outfit of same, including boats, sledges, and 

dogs - 35,000 

Provisions, independent of the Navy ration 50, 000 

Medical outfit 2,000 

Clothing 20,000 

Coal 6,000 

Amount $340,480 

If vessels be purchased before sealing trip, add 30, 000 

$370, 480 
If advance ship be sent, add — 

Cost of vessel $38,920 

Outfit for same 15,000 

53, 920 

Total cost $424,400 

If a smaller ship be purchased instead of one of the above provided for. 

deduct 8,712 

$415, 688 

CONCLUSIONS. 

The best plan and the most complete expedition that can be organ- 
ized may, from unforeseen cause, be delayed in its movements. 

The track by which the Dundee whaling fleet reaches its cruising 
grounds is fortunately favorable to Lieutenant Greely. These vessels 
always pass in sight of Cape York and the Cary Islands before cross- 
ing the " north water" to Jones and Lancaster Sounds. The Cary Islands 
are about one hundred miles from Littleton Island, and it seems to the 
Board extremely advisable that the Government of the United States 
should give notice to the masters of these whalers that, if they should 
succeed in rescuing Lieutenant Greely's party, or in rendering him 



REPORT. ' 15 

material assistance, a large bounty would be paid, provided Greely be 
found at, or north of, Cape York, and that no United States vessel is 
in sight at the date of rescue. For the offering of a bounty by Govern- 
ment for the purpose stated, the history of Arctic expeditions furnishes 
many precedents. 

The minutes of the different meetings of the Board will be trans- 
mitted at an early date, as will also the various exhibits to which ref- 
erence is made. 

During the progress of the investigation the Board has heard the 
expression of opinion of a considerable number of gentlemen, experi- 
enced to a greater of less degree in Arctic life and exploration. Others 
who could not appear in person, forwarded papers containing an expres- 
sion of views upon the subject under consideration. All such communi- 
cations will appear in the Appendix, and will, it is believed, be found 
to contain valuable suggestions. 

A large number of communications relating to the subject under 
consideration have been received by the Board, either direct from the 
writers, or by reference from the Secretary of War or the Secretary of 
the Navy. These communications will be forwarded with the minutes 
of the Board meetings. An abstract of them will also appear in the 
Appendix. 

Upon the suggestion of the Board, the Secretary of War, through 
the Department of State, requested an expression of opinion upon the 
best means of effecting the relief of Lieutenant Greely from Captains 
Sir George S. Nares, H. F. Stephenson, and A. R. Markham, all of the 
British Navy. It is understood that the gentlemen referred to have 
kindly responded to the request. When these communications shall have 
come to hand the Board will forward them and ask that they be filed. 

A chart of Smith Sound and adjacent waters is inclosed. (Exhibit 
U.) It was prepared by the Hydrographer of the Navy Department, 
and shows the tracks of the following-named expeditions, viz : 

"Polaris", 1871-2 Hall. 

"Alert " and " Discovery ", 1875-6 Nares. 

"Pandora", 1876 Young. 

"Proteus", 1881 Greely. 

"Neptune", 1882 Beebe. 

"Proteus", 1883 Garlington 

The caches of supplies which have been deposited on the shores of 
Smith Sound and Kennedy Channel are also indicated. Accompanying 
the chart is a description of the various depots, compiled from official 
reports and other publications. 

We have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servants, 

W. B. HAZEN, 

Chief Signal Officer, 
JAS. A. GREER, 

Captain, U. S. Navy, 
B. H. McCALLA, 
Lieutenant- Commander , U, 8. Navy, 

GEO. W. DAVIS, 
Captain, lkth Infantry, 77. S, Army. 



The undersigned members of the Board, while heartily concurring in 
all the foregoing recommendations and suggestions, have the honor to 
further recommend : 



16 REPORT. 

That the complement of officers and crew of each relief ship be 
increased to forty persons, the increase in the personnel to consist of 
one officer and five enlisted men of the Army. The officer selected 
should be one who has had practical experience in the northwestern 
portion of the United States or in the Arctic, and the men selected 
with special reference to their fitness for the work in hand. The offi- 
cer should also be trained in the use of the meteorological instruments 
which should be sent for comparison with those in use by the Lady 
Franklin Bay Expedition. 

Should the relief ships be compelled to winter in Smith Sound, 
these Army detachments to be quartered on shore at the highest favor- 
able point reached, as the commander of the expedition might deter- 
mine, and from thence, as directed by the commander, to advance over 
the ice or along the coast with dogs, sleds, and boats to Lady Franklin 
Bay. Such a force, made urj of men inured to the cold of Dakota and 
Montana, where every winter mercury freezes, equipped with the best 
dog-teams from the northwest would, it is thought, if added to the nau- 
tical equipment of the expedition, greatly improve the chance of final 
success — should the vessels fail to reach Lieutenant Greely's station, 
and operations over land and ice be the last resort. 

The reasons for the employment of such auxiliary force detailed from 
the same branch of the public service which established the Signal 
station at Discovery Harbor — each and every man loyally co-operating 
with his naval associates in the humane work before them, and actu- 
ated by the same honorable motives, each striving to excel the other 
in efforts that may reach the limit of human endurance — are, in the 
opinion of the undersigned, so numerous and cogent, that to set them 
forth in detail, seems as unnecessary as does an argument in support 
of the recommendation to employ such a force. 

W. B. HAZEN, 

Chief Signal Officer. 
GEO. W. DAVIS, 
Captain, lUh Infantry, U. S. Army. 



The undersigned members of the Board, in dissenting from the pro- 
position to send two officers and ten enlisted men of the Army as 
additional to the projected complement of the expedition, have the 
honor to submit the following statement of their opinion in reference 
thereto : 

1st. It is desirable that the expedition should be as homogeneous 
as possible, and to this end it should consist of but one branch of 
service, under one form of discipline, unless there are strong reasons 
to the contrary. 

2d. It is universally admitted that the number of persons composing 
the expedition should be as small as possible, consistent with the suc- 
cessful performance of the work to be done; and they should, as far as 
practicable, be persons available for all kinds of service which will 
devolve upon the expedition. 

3d. The service required will, up to a certain point, be on shipboard; 
after that point it may be, according to circumstances, either on the 
water by means of the relief ships, or by means of boats; or on ice and 
water, partly by means of sledges and partly by means of boats ; or 
wholly on land by sledges. The last supposition is considered by the 
best authorities as the least probable. 



REPORT. 17 

4th. The question of the expediency of adding a contingent of offi- 
cers and enlisted men of the Army to the Naval expedition, must be 
considered with reference to the three possible kinds of service above 
mentioned. If the first or the second supposition should turn out to be 
correct, no reason can be adduced for their employment, as in either 
case the service is purely nautical. There remains the third and least 
probable hypothesis that, after navigation and ice and boat journeys 
are found impracticable, it may be necessary and feasible to make a 
sledge journey on land. It is for the purpose of this journey, and for 
this alone, that an argument can be advanced for the employment of a 
detail from the Army. 

In this connection, it may be well to quote from the late Lieutenant 
Payer, an Officer of the Austrian Army who, together with two jagers 
or mountaineers, accompanied Lieutenant Weyprecht in the Austrian 
Polar Expedition Ship "Tegetthoif," for the purpose of taking charge 
of sledge journeys. 

Lieutenant Payer attained his highest point, accompanied by a Mid- 
shipman and a seaman from the " Tegetthoif," his mountaineers having 
broken down during the journey, and in writing to the New York 
Herald, after his Arctic experience, upon the subject of the Polar 
Colonization Scheme, a plan which involved primarily land service and 
land sledging, he says, " Seamen are better capable of maintaining 
discipline under such circumstances than members of any other profes- 
sion, and therefore the colony should mostly consist of them." 

Lieutenant Payer also says, in speaking of the selection of a crew for 
the Colonization Scheme, "It is often assumed that the ability to endure 
cold must be a crucial test of fitness. This is an error. A sense of 
duty, endurance, and determination are the most essential qualities. 
Habit soon overcomes cold." 

5th. In determining the number of officers and men for the two ves- 
sels, the probability of land sledging, and of journeys over ice and 
water, was considered by the undersigned ; and if the force is to be 
further increased, it would be, in our opinion, preferable to take more 
seamen. 

6th. It is submitted that unity and efficiency will be better secured 
by confining expeditions of this character to a single branch of the two 
services ; that it has been decided that the character of the expedition 
shall be naval, and that it shall be under the control of the Navy 
Department, and therefore it should be composed of persons in the naval 
service ; that as few persons should be taken as possible, and they 
should be such as would be useful for all the work of the expedition ; 
that undoubtedly the greater part of this work will be nautical, 
and probably all of it ; that as far as land service may be required, 
no evidence can be adduced to show a general presumption of superior 
fitness in enlisted men of the Army over seamen, under the peculiar 
conditions to be met, but that, on the contrary, the efficiency of 
seamen for this service has been recognized by high authority ; while, 
in reference to the officers, it must be remembered that the experience 
of the Navy in Arctic sledging, has been far greater than that of the 
Army. 

7th. It has also been suggested that the two Army officers which it 
is proposed to send, should be trained in the use of the meteorological 
instruments which would be taken for comparison with those in use by 
the Lady Franklin Bay expedition. In reference to this, it is submitted 
that as officers of the Navy are required by their daily occupations to 
S 



18 REPORT. 

make the closest and most accurate observations with the instruments 
in question, both for scientific and professional purposes, it may be 
presumed that they are fully competent to perform any service of this 
character that may be required of them. 

8th. The undersigned are of the opinion that the suggestion as to the 
specific conditions under which the proposed Army detachment is to be 
employed would, if adopted, have a mischievous result. It has been 
proposed that the detachment should proceed in the ships, presumably 
as passengers, for they could go in no other capacity, until the expedi- 
tion should be compelled to winter in Smith Sound ; that they should 
then be quartered on shore, at a point selected by the commander of 
the expedition ; and that they should thence, as directed by the com- 
mander, advance over the ice or along the coast, with dogs, sledges, 
and boats. 

The undersigned, having in view solely the success of the expedition, 
regard the proposed plan as prejudicial to that success, for the follow- 
ing reasons : 

It com templates the increase of the complement, already large enough 
to meet the demands of all possible service, by the addition of twelve 
supernumeraries, who would be without occupation until the progress 
of the ship was finally checked. It requires of the commander of the 
expedition that he shall quarter the detachment on shore apart from 
the rest of his command, although the ships would furnish the most 
suitable place of abode, and that he shall entrust to this detachment 
specifically, the execution of any sledging operations that may be 
undertaken on the ice, or along the coast, leaving to his discretion only 
the selection of the place where they shall be quartered, and the general 
direction of the advance with the sledges. 

Such an arrangement, would, it is submitted, result inevitably in that 
division of responsibility and command which is above all things to be 
avoided ; it would necessitate the issue of particular and special 
instructions to those who were thus sent for a particular and special 
purpose; it would hamper the commander of the expedition, upon 
whom the ultimate responsibility of success or failure must rest, with 
conditions by which no commander would willingly be bound ; and, 
finally, that it would create a command within a command, which, as 
in previous instances where such a plan has been adopted, would cer- 
tainly be prejudicial to success. 

JAS. A. GREER, 

Captain, U. S. Navy. 
B. H. McCALLA, 
Lieutenant- Commander, U. S. Navy, 



PROCEEDINGS. 



Signal Office, War Department, 

Washington, D. C, December 20, 1883. 
The Board met pursuant to the following order of the President of 
the United States : 

Executive Mansion, December 17, 1883. 

The following-named officers of the Army and Navy will constitute a board to con- 
sider an expedition to be sent for the relief of Lieutenant Greely and his party, com- 
prising what is known as the Lady Franklin Bay Expedition, and to recommend to the 
Secretaries of War and the Navy, jointly, the steps the board may consider necessary 
to be taken for the equipment and transportation of the relief expedition, and to sug- 
gest such plan for its control and conduct, and for the organization of its personnel, 
as may seem to them best adapted to accomplish its purpose: Brigadier-General 
William B. Hazen, Chief Signal Officer, U. S. Army ; Captain James A. Greer, U. 
S. Navy; Lieutenant-Commander B. H. McCalla, U. S. Navy; Captain George W. 
Davis, 14th Infantry, U. S. Army. 

The board will meet in Washington, D. C, on the 20th instant. 

CHESTER A. ARTHUR. 

All the members were present. 

An informal discussion then ensued as to the duties of the Board and 
the steps that should be taken in order to best fulfill the requirements 
of the order creating it. 

It was agreed that at the next meeting, each member should submit 
a memorandum embodying his general ideas as to the character, organi- 
zation, and equipment of the proposed relief expedition. 

It was then decided that such persons as are known to have had 
experience in Arctic service, and are now in Washington, should be 
invited to appear and give their general ideas upon the subject under 
consideration ; also, to invite persons remote from Washington, who 
have had like experience, to submit in writing their ideas upon the 
same subject. 

The Recorder (Captain Davis) was instructed to request the Secretary 
of War to direct, by telegraph, Lieut. Frederick Schwatka, 3d U. S. 
Cavalry, to submit in writing whatever he might propose for the organi- 
zation and conduct of a relief expedition to Lady Franklin Bay. 

The Board then adjourned to meet on Saturday, the 22d instant, at 
11 o'clock a. m., in room 88, Navy Department Building. 



Room 88, Navy Department Building, 

Washington, D. (7., December 22, 1883. 
The Board met pursuant to adjournment; all the members present. 
A letter, dated December 21, 1883, from the Secretary of the Navy, 
(Abstract, Miscellaneous Correspondence, No. 1,) transmitting a letter, 
dated U. S. Training-Ship "Saratoga," New York Navy-Yard, Decem- 
ber 19, 1883, from Commander Henry C. Taylor, U. S. Navy, 
(Abs., Mis, Cor., No. 2), was received and read. 



20 PROCEEDINGS. 

The Recorder was directed to acknowledge receipt of letter from Com- 
mander Taylor, and to request him to invite Lieutenant Usher to sub- 
mit a written statement of his ideas concerning the organization and 
conduct of a relief expedition. 

A telegram from Lieut. G. T. T. Patterson, U. S. Army, was received 
and read. (Abs., Mis. Cor., No. 3.) 

Lieutenant-Commander McCalla, IT. S. Navy, read a memorandum 
entitled "General design for an expedition for the relief of Lieutenant 
( lively and party." (Exhibit A.) 

General llazen read a paper, which he stated had been prepared in 
his office, suggesting a plan of relief. (This paper will be found entire 4 
in the testimony of Lieut. Ernest A. Garlington, 7th U. S. Cavalry. — 
Recorder.) 

Captain Greer stated that he had prepared a memorandum, but as 
Lieutenant- Commander McCalla had covered the whole ground, 
expressing exactly his own ideas, he would not read the notes he 
had prepared. 

Captain Davis stated he had not yet been able, owing to the press 
of other duties, to put into the form of a memorandum the ideas he 
entertained as to the proper steps to be taken to afford succor to 
Lieutenant Greely and his party. 

An informal discussion then ensued, and the opinion was expressed by 
each member that the first step to^be taken was to recommend to the 
Secretaries of War and Navy the immediate procurement of two vessels 
suitable for Arctic service, in order that timely preparations might be 
made to adapt them for the proposed work, and the Board accord- 
ingly directed that the following letter be addressed to the Secretaries 
of War and Navy, respectively : 

Washington, D. C, December 22, 1883. 
Sir: As preliminary to its general report, the Board of Officers appointed by the 
President to consider the relief of the Lady Franklin Bay Expedition, begs to recom- 
mend that the Secretaries of War and the Navy take immediate steps to procure, by 
purchase, two full-powered steam whalers or sealers, and to prepare them for service in 
the Arctic regions. 

Although it is hoped, and even expected, that Lieutenant Greehy's party will be suc- 
cored during the coming summer, yet the contingencj^ must not be overlooked of the 
inability of the expedition to extricate itself from the ice and return the same season, 
and an enforced detention of the vessels in Smith Sound during the winter of 1884-5 
may occur. 

Therefore, the Board would further recommend that a naval vessel be prepared to 
act as a tender to the expedition, for the purpose of going as far as Littleton Island or 
Cape Sabine, to bring back the latest news of the expedition, or, in the event of the 
hiss of one or both of the steam whalers or sealers, to bring home the officers and men 
not necessary for the sledge journeys during the winter; to contribute supplies for the 
use of the expedition, if necessary, and to aid in any way the efforts to reach and res- 
cue Lieutenant Greet}' and his party. 

Verv respectfully, your obedient servant, 

W. B. HAZEN, 
Brig. & Bvt Maj. Gen' I, 
Chief Signal Officer of the Army, President of the Board. 

The Board also directed that the Secretaries of War and Navy be 
informed that, in the opinion of the Board, the services of a ste- 
nographer would be indispensable to an efficient and speedy transaction 
of the duties imposed on it. 

The Board then adjourned to meet at XX o'clock a. m., December 26, 
X883. 



proceedings. 21 

Room 88, Navy Department Building-, 

Washington, D. C, December 26, 1883. 

The Board met pursuant to adjournment; all the members present. 

The Recorder stated that the person detailed by the Secretary of 
War to act as clerk and stenographer was unable to perform the duties 
of both positions, and that the services of a reporter would be 
necessary. 

The Recorder was then directed to make arrangements for the imme- 
diate employment of an experienced stenographer. Upon invitatkfh, 
the Board then repaired to the office of the Secretary of War for 
a conference with that officer and with the Secretary of the Navy, and a 
discussion of the best means of giving effect to the recommendations of 
the Board, contained in its preliminary report, then ensued. 

Upon returning to the Board room, Captain Davis read a memoran- 
dum embodying his views as to the organization and conduct of a 
relief expedition. (Exhibit B.) 

The Board then adjourned to meet on Wednesday, January 2, 1884, 
at 11 o'clock a. m. 



Room 88, Navy Department Building, 

Washington, D. C-, January 2, 1884. 

The Board met pursuant to adjournment; all the members present. 

By approval of the Secretary of War, Mr. James L. Andem, of 
Washington, D. 0., was employed as stenographer to the Board, and 
0. H. Emerson, of the Record Division, War Department, was 
assigned to duty as clerk. 

General Hazen then submitted a large number of papers and com- 
munications received from various parties, offering their services, 
suggesting plans, &c, for the relief of the Greely party. (Abs., 
Mis. Cor., Nos. 4 to 26, inclusive.) 

Capt. George E. Tyson, of Washington, D. C, having been invited 
to appear before the Board, was interrogated as follows: 

By Captain Davis : 
Question. The Board would thank you to make a brief statement of 
the experience you have had in the Arctic regions, giving dates of such 
service, how, and where, employed. — Answer. I first sailed for the 
Arctic regions in the year 1850, and I was einpk^ed continually there, in 
the whaling service, until 1870, when I entered on board the "Polaris" 
as assistant navigator. We left New York on the 1st day of July, if I 
remember correctly, and sailed from New London on the 4th day of 
July, arriving at Polaris Bay, in Smith Sound, or above Smith 
Sound, on the 27th day of August, and were frozen in there on the 5th 
day of September, 1871, in Polaris Bay. We remained there until the 
next July, when, Captain Hall being dead, the sailing master conclu- 
ded to return home. On coining down Smith Sound, I suppose you 
all remember, 1 got adrift on a floe of ice and drifted for one hundred 
and ninety -six days. 

By General Hazen : 

Q. What date did you get on that drift?— A. On the 5th day of 
October. 
Q. At what point was it? — A. I got separated from the vessel close 



L } _' PROCEEDINGS. 

to Littleton Island, and was rescued by the steamer "Tigress" on the 
last day of April. 1873, just north of the Straits of Belle Isle. 

By Captain 1) wis: 

Q. Yon say that from 1850 to 1870 yon were in the whaling service? — 
A. Yes. sir. 

Q. In the Arctic regions .' — A. Through Melville Bay, down the 
coast of America, Hudson Strait. Cumberland Gulf, and Repulse Bay. 
A). In sailing or steam vessels : ; — A. Sailing vessels. 

Q. Have yon had any experience in the Arctic regions since your 
rescue from the tioe ? — A. Yes, sir; I returned with Captain Greer in 
the - Tigress." 

Q. On a search expedition? — A. Yes, sir; a search expedition. 
and in 1877 I sailed in the " Florence" on a preliminary expedition for 
a proposed government expedition which was to be made. 

Q. Where did you go : ; — A. To the head of Cumberland Gulf, to col- 
lect material, ami we carried Esquimaux over to Disco Island, expect- 
ing to meet the government expedition there, but did not meet them and 
we had to return home. Since then (1877) I have not been in Arctic 
service. 

Q. Have you given the subject of the relief of the Lady Franklin 
Bay expedition thought and consideration, and have you any project 
for the accomplishing of Lieutenant Greely 's relief that you would 
suggest? — A. Yes, sir; I think a steamer of three hundred tons, sail- 
ing from here in June or the 1st of July, would be time enough, touch- 
ing at Cape York, and not finding Lieutenant Greely or his party 
there, hunting the coast along as far as water would permit, and not 
finding them there, I would go to the west coast, and finding no trace 
of them there, I should have two whale-boats prepared, well fitted 
and manned, to take the land or water, and those boats will go up to 
Lady Franklin Bay. But I would not put my steamer in the ice; it 
would likely enough lead to another catastrophe. 

Q. And you think there is a reasonable probability of reaching Lady 
Franklin Bay with those boats? — A. I think so; you can always find a 
little land water where you can get a boat along. But I think it would 
be impossible to get your ship through, and in going up to Lady Frank- 
lin Bay, a vessel getting there late in the season and coming down, 
runs great danger late in the fall. In fact, I consider it almost impos- 
sible, unless it is a very open season indeed. 

Q. And reaching Lady Franklin Bay, you would expect Lieutenant 
Greely to avail himself of his own boats to return ? — A. Y"es, sir; of 
course, the two boats would require to take back doubleJ:he number of 
men they would require to go there. In fact they would, bring the 
whole party down if it was necessary, that is the fact. 

Q. 1 suppose you are aware of the number of persons in Lieutenant 
(ri'ccly's party /—A. Yes, sir; I believe there are twenty-five. 

Q. You spoke of obtaining a steam whaler of about three hundred 
tons. Can you liken that vessel to any which you have seen in ser- 
vice; do you remember any one of a similar character, such as you 
would propose \ — A. No, sir; I never have seen any as small as that. 
The "Tigress" is about three hundred and fifty tons. 

Q. Do you think such a vessel, suitable for the purpose, is obtain- 
able; and if so, where? — A. I think perhaps a suitable vessel could 
lie obtained at Saint John's, Newfoundland. 

Q. And how about the personnel; how many should compose the 
crew of such a vessel? — A. About twenty-five or thirty men. 



PROCEEDINGS. 23 

Q. What reliance, if any, would yon place upon sledges and dogs? — 
A. None whatever. 

Q. Would you make no use of the Esquimaux as guides or as hun- 
ters? — A. No, sir; I think not. 

Q. About what point in Smith Sound do you think you could safely 
expect to reach with a vessel! — A. I think it could possibly reach 
Littleton Island, and then above Cape Isabella. 

Q. You would expect to be able to reach that point in any event? — 
A. Yes, sir. 

Q. Do you take into consideration the fact that your vessel might be 
frozen in there, and that you might fail to reach Lieutenant Greely 
with your boats? — A. Well, I do not anticipate any failure in reaching 
Lieutenant Greely or Lady Franklin Bay with the boats. 

Q. What length of time would you expect to consume in the boat 
journey from Cape Sabine or Cape Isabella to Lady Franklin Bay and 
return? — A. I would be gone about fifteen days. 

Q. At what date would you wish to be at Cape Isabella? — A. I 
should like to be there on the 25th of July ; the vessel should be there 
the 25th of July. 

Q. And, therefore, by the 10th of August you would expect to have 
returned to the ship? — A. I should hope to return to the ship by the 
10th or 15th of August. 

Q. Do you remember anything of the attempt that Hayes made to 
reach a high point with boats and sledge's, and the difficulties that he 
encountered ? — A. Yes, sir ; but that was at a different time of year ; 
that was in April or May that he attempted to reach Lady Franklin 
Bay, or some high northern point, with his sledges. 

Q. He also endeavored to take with him a boat, you remember? — A. 
Yes, sir; but he gave the boat up. 

Q. Would you expect to make your voyage in boats on the west shore 
of Smith Sound or the east? — A. On the west shore. 

Q. Would you place any reliance on present depots of provisions 
located along the coast, or expect to carry all of your own provisions? — 
A. I do not know exactly; I understand there are caches of provisions 
along the coast, but I should carry fifteen or twenty days' provisions in 
each boat. 

Q. W T hat would be the weight of the boat with its complement of 
stores ?— A. I could not tell you. I know they are handled easily. I 
should use a whale-boat twenty-seven or thirty feet in length, such as 
we use in the whaling service, but, perhaps, build the garboard stakes 
stronger with oak and put a three-inch keel on her, and shoe with good 
oak, so that when you jump your boat out on a piece of ice you can run 
it across. 

Q. And you would expect your crew to be able to pull the boat out 
very hastily ? — A. O, yes, sir; I have pulled hundreds out with a crew 
of six men to each boat. 

Q. If you think it would be so easy to reach Lady Franklin Bay, then 
you would naturally expect Lieutenant Greely easily to reach the same 
point without assistance? — A. Certainly. If Lieutenant Greely was 
.alive, and not in trouble, he would have been down last July or August. 
It may be that he made an attempt to reach there last spring. 

General Hazen. His orders require him not to leave much before 
the 1st of September. 

The Witness. Then it would be impossible for him to come down. 



24 PROCEEDINGS. 

Q. You arc familiar with Lieutenant Greely's orders?— A. Yes, sir. 

(). You expect, in any event, he will have made the attempt next 
spring to go south .'—A. Yes. sir; if living and well I think yon will 
find him at Littleton Island, or near by there. 

(,>. What do yen think of his chances of maintaining himself, sup- 
posing he reached Littleton Island last fall? — A. Well, they have 
suffered some, no doubt. Are there no provisions at Littleton Island I 

Captain Davis;. Yes, a small quantity. 

The WITNESS. Well, there are caches nearby there, are there not? 

Captain DAVIS. Yes. on the west side of the Sound. 

The WITNESS. If he reached Littleton Island last fall they have 
suffered some, no doubt. But nineteen persons floating on the ice for 
six months and a half, with scarcely anything at all, shows what can 
be done, and at Littleton Island there is an abundance of game 
through the winter season, and walrus which they can secure. 

Q. All through the winter ! — A. Y r es, sir. 

Q. And in the dark? — A. Y r es, in the twilight; they can catch them 
in the twilight, the natives capture them. 

By General Hazen : 

Q. What is the method of taking walrus during that period? — A. 
The natives take them with a spear and line. 

Q. To prevent their sinking? — A. Yes, sir. They get their spear 
in and hold them. They are very expert in catching them. 

Q. Yon did not see much of the Esquimaux when yon were on that 
expedition — on the u Polaris"? — A. O, yes, sir; I have lived with 
them years and years. 

Q. Then your opinion is that if Lieutenant Greely succeeded in 
getting safely to Littleton Island with some supplies, he conld get 
through the winter pretty fairly l — A. Y"es, sir. 

By Captain Greer : 

Q. How about the question of fuel there? — A. They would have to 
make their tires from the blubber, the oil. 

By General Hazen : 

Q. I take it, it would depend more on the heat of the body and 
their being well protected with good clothing? — A. Y^es, sir; and if 
they can find plenty of animal food, they can survive whether they 
have a fire or not. 

By Captain Davis : 

Q. Did you see any indications at Polaris Bay that the Esquimaux 
had ever lived and hunted in that region ? — A. I saw indication of 
where they had had their huts, and the skeletons of cattle. 

Q. In recent years 1' — A. The stains of the blood were distinguishable 
on the bones of the cattle that were lying there. I found indications 
of where they had tires, and a number of huts, and dug their spear- 
heads ii]). But I saw no other traces; no living trace. 

Q. Y r ou would not think the services of an auxiliary vessel or tender 
would be required \ — A. Xo, sir; I do not think that would be neces- 
sary. 

By General IIazen: 

Q. Have you ever used dog sleds? — A. Yes, sir; I have used them 
Cor twenty years. 

Q. I understand you to say that you would not propose to use them 
in this expedition !—A. Xo, sir; not in that season of the year. 



PROCEEDINGS. 25 

Q. Then that might be done at other seasons if the boats failed? — 
A. Yes, sir; that would be done in the spring of the year; but we 
could not use them in the fall. 

By Captain Davis : 
Q. I notice a paper among* those sent to the Board in which you ten- 
der your services for a relief expedition ! — A. Yes, sir. 

By Captain Greer : 

Q. How many dogs would you provide for each sled, supposing you 
were going on such an expedition, allowing for loss by death ; the num- 
ber required to haul an ordinary load ? — A. Mne to twelve dogs make a 
very fine team, and they will carry a heavy load. 

Q. I will put my question in this way. How many dogs would you 
provide for each load, if you were going to use them? — A. I should 
provide eighteen or twenty dogs for each sled. 

By General Hazen : 
Q. Then there are some driven along; they are not all in the harness 
at once ? — A. No, sir. Twelve dogs make an excellent team on good ice, 
and carry a heavy load, but not on rough ice. 

By Captain Davis : 
Q. Nearly all the sledge expeditions that have been successful have 
been conducted in the spring of the year, have they not '? — A. Yes, sir. 

By General Hazen : 

Q. For how long a period, beginning and ending when, in Smith 
Sound ? — A. Well, it would not be safe to have your sleighs out later 
than the 1st of July, beginning at any time in April. 

Q. About three months, then? — A. Yes, sir; you could work three 
months there with sledges. 

By Captain Davis : 

Q. Are the dogs found in Cumberland Gulf and Hudson Strait the 
same as those on the Greenland side X — A. No, sir; those on the Green- 
land side are a little mixed; they are not so good as the Esquimaux 
dogs on the west coast. 

Q. Supposing it was intended to take dog-sledges with the expedi- 
tion there, what would you regard as the best locality in which to pro- 
cure dogs ? — A. Sailing at that time of the year, it would be hardly pos- 
sible to get dogs from the west coast; you would have to find them on 
the east. 

Q. How early in the season could you expect to get into Hudson 
Strait or Cumberland Gulf, where there is a supply of dogs ? — A. In 
the middle of July, and that would occupy too much time. Cumberland 
Gulf is not always accessible at that time of the year. 

Q. Have you ever been at Ponds Bay ? — A. No, sir; but I have been 
opposite. I sailed for Ponds Bay once, but we were driven back by 
the ice. 

Q. At what date in the spring would you think it safe for Lieutenant 
Greely to start to come down in boats? — A. He would have to use his 
own judgment about that. I think he could start the middle of July 
and make his way down. 

Q. If he has dogs in good condition, at what date could he get down 
with them, starting in the spring? — A. He could get down there in a 
very few days. 



1>() PROCEEDINGS. 

(}. Starting in April ? — A. Yes, sir; in April, May, or June. 

Q. Would you think there certainly would be no difficulty in his 
crossing Smith Sound with sledges in the spring? — A. In the spring, 
there woidd be no difficulty. 

By Lieutenant-Commander McCalla: 
Q. That depends, of course, upon the character of the ice. — A. Of 
course the character of the ice has something to do with it. What I 
mean is he would meet with no obstructions from water at that time. 

By General JIazen: 
Q. The ice would be strong? — A. Yes, sir. 

Q. He might meet with considerable obstruction from the ice being 
rough and piled up ? — A. Yes, sir. 

By Captain Davis : 
Q. Was not Smith Sound and Kennedy Channel open a good part 
of the winter when you were there in the "Polaris"? — A. Polaris Bay 
was open during the greater part of the winter, but Smith Sound was 
never known to be open during the winter. It chokes there, and freezes 
and stays. 

By Lieutenant-Commander McCalla: 

Q. Have you been above Littleton island many times in your life? — 
A. Only twice; once in the u Tigress " and once in the "Polaris." 

Q. Did you go above Littleton Island in the "Tigress"! — A. Yes, 
sir. 

Q. How far ! — A. Just about there. 

Q. Did you go as far as Life-Boat Cove J ? — A. We were right opposite 
that, I think. 

Q. Can you give me au idea on this chart of the track of the "Polaris " 
up and down between Littleton Island and Lady Franklin Sound, or in 
that vicinity? Please trace it with a lead pencil on that map. 

(The witness drew, with a lead pencil, the line referred to, on the 
map of Smith Sound and Kennedy and Robeson Channels.) 

By General Hazen : 

Q. Do you know anything about the "Polaris" having left any stores 
opposite Lady Franklin Bay on the east coast ?— A. Yes, sir; there 
were stores left there, but I believe that Sir George Nares consumed 
most of them, if not all. 

Q. Have you any information that he did do it? — A. No, sir. 

General Hazen. We can not find any such information. 

Captain Greer. Not in his book. 

By Lieutenant-Commander McCalla : 

Q. Did you land in the " Polaris "between Cape Sabine and the vicin- 
ity of Lady Franklin Sound? — A. Yes, we landed at Cape Frazer. 

Q. Then the line you made should have gone in there. Is that the 
only place! — A. Y r es, sir; that is the only place. ' 

Q. How near the coast did you goon your way up? — A. We were 
sometimes within one hundred yards of it. 

Q. Then this line you made does not represent your track, for this is 
about ten miles out? — A. We followed the sinuosities of the coast usu- 
ally. 

( c ). Then this lead-pencil line does not represent your track? — A. No, 
sir; it is ;i little too far off shore. 



PROCEEDINGS, 27 

Q. That is the only part of the coaSt that you know, in the vicinity of 
Cape Frazer? — A. Yes, sir. 

By General Hazen : 

Q. About what was the amount of the stores that the "Polaris" 
left I— A. That I can not tell. 

Q. A large quantity ? — A. No, sir: I do not think it was. 

Q. Were they covered or shielded in any way ? — A. They were put 
in the observatory. 

Q. What reason have yon to suppose that Sir George Nares did con- 
sume them ? — A. I saw it published somewhere that he had asserted 
that the American stores left there were superior to his own. 

General Hazen. He does not mention having used them all in any 
of his reports, and he really had no occasion for them for he had an 
abundance of stores for his own use, and he made an extensive num- 
ber of caches. 

The Witness. Those caches are still there ! 

General Hazen. Yes; Lieutenant Greely was under the impression 
that those stores were still at Polaris Bay. 

By Captain Davis : 

Q. If the Esquimaux should visit that point they would appropriate 
the stores, would they not f — A. I think that is doubtful, because the 
Esquimaux in that section do not know anything about such stores, 
and they would not eat them. 

By General HAzen : 

Q. They would prefer their own food? — A. Yes, sir; they are not 
accustomed to any such thing. 

Q. And you do not think there have been any Esquimaux there for 
many years ! — A. They very seldom visit there. 

By Lieutenant-Commander McCalla : 

Q. In speaking of two whale-boats with six men each, and provi- 
sions for fifteen days, where would you expect the whale-boats to start 
from, the vicinity of what point 1 — A. That is owing to circumstances. 
You might be fortunate enough to reach Cape Frazer with your vessel. 

Q. You might go all the way up? — A. Yes, sir. 

Q. Then you had no particular point in view that you would expect 
to start from? — A. No, sir; start when we met the ice. 

Q. How many people are there in Lieutenant Greely's party? — A. 
Twenty five, I believe. 

Q. Then you would have thirty-seven men in the two whale-boats 
coming down/ — A. I suppose Lieutenant Greely has a boat there. 

Q. You said that you would be prepared to take them all in the two 
whale-boats? — A. Has not Lieutenant Greely a whale-boat there? 

Q. He may have. But if you go up to relieve him, you would not 
take that into consideration? — A. Yes, sir; but they have been gone 
three years next July, and I suppose their number has decreased 
some. 

Q. But you could not count on that in sending up a relief? — A. No, 
sir; we could not. But the two whale-boats, if absolutely necessary, 
could bring all those men down. I carried nineteen men in a whale- 
boat in an open sea. 

Q. I understood you to say that you had had twenty years' expe- 
rience in sledging with dogs? — Yes, sir. 



30 PROCEEDINGS. 

ling in a country where we (bund plenty of doer-skin, and had the very 
best of deer- skin clothing and deerskin sleeping bays, covered with 
tanned seal-skin to keep the moist lire away. 

By General IIazhn : 

(,). What do yon consider the very best clothing for Arctic use? — A. 
Clothing made of reindeer skin. 

(,). Is it in one thickness or more ¥ — A. We made a double jacket, 
one with the fur inside and the other with the fur out. 

Q. Have you any idea where any quantity of that reindeer-skin 
could be procured l — A. Yes, sir; you could procure an abundance of 
it in Hudson Strait. 

Q. At what point ? — A. I do not know that yon can procure any at 
York Factory, but north of that, anywhere along the coast, I have 
seen deer as thick as cattle are anywhere. The skins you could pro- 
cure at the factory. 

Q. But would that be available for the expedition next year! — A. 
No, sir. 

By Captain ])av is : 
Q. Do the Hudson's Bay Company trade in that clothing and send it 
to England : — A. I think so. 

Q.. Could it be found in London ? — A. I do not know whether the 
reindeer-skin could be found there or not. 

Q. But the Hudson's Bay people do trade in that clothing i — A. Yes, 
sir. 

By General Hazen : 

Q. Have you any opinion as to sheepskin — its quality for that 
service ? — A. I think it would be very serviceable, if you were not able 
to procure deer-skin. 

* Q. Failing to get deer-skin, you think that would be very service- 
able t — A. Yes, sir. 

By Captain Davis : 

Q. Did you have any scurvy on the "Polaris" expedition ? — A. No, 
sir. 

Q. Did you make use of lime juice as an anti-scorbutic l — A. No, sir. 

By General Hazen : 

Q. What antiscorbutic did you make use of ? — A. Fresh meat and 
potatoes. 

By Captain Davis : 

Q. Did you ever use lime juice in any of your winterings ? — A. No, 
sir; I would not have it. 

Q. Yoirplace no reliance upon it ! — A. No, sir. 

Q. What kind of provisions would you take in your boats, if you 
were starting up thereon that trip, or for an occasion where you might 
be obliged to winter in your vessel ? — A. I would take the provisions 
that all vessels going to the Arctic regions are equipped with, that is, 
with canned fruits and meats and pemmican ; pern mi can is very service- 
abb 1 , up there. 

Q. The pemmican made and obtained where? — A. I think in Phila- 
delphia. 

(). With the ordinary ship's provisions and with fresh meat, would 
yon expect to maintain yourself and winter there without scurvy? — A. 
Yes, sir; with ordinary ship's provisions. 



PROCEEDINGS. 31 

Q. How do you explain the breaking' out of scurvy in other expedi- 
tions then, where they had an abundance of good provisions, includ- 
ing pemmican '! — A. I attribute the great cause of scurvy to their hav- 
ing very inferior salt meat, very old, and where the nutriment had all 
gone from it. I would have good fresh pork, newly killed, and fresh 
beef, and plenty of canned meats, and vegetables, and fruits. 

Q. But you can not expect to have fresh pork and beef during the 
winter there I — A. But you can have it freshly killed here. There is 
no occasion to put so much salt in it when it is going to a cold climate. 

Lieut. H. J. Hunt, TJ. S. Navy, having been invited to appear before 
the Board, was interrogated as follows: 

By Captain Davis: 

Question. The Board would thank you to make a brief statement of 
the experience you have had in the Arctic regions, giving dates of 
such service, how, and where, employed. — Answer. I was attached 
to the Arctic relief ship u Eodgers," and sailed in June, 1881, from 
Ban Francisco in search of the " Jeannette." The ship made a cruise 
during the summer in the Arctic regions north of Behring Strait, went 
into winter quarters in October at Saint Lawrence Bay, and was lost by 
fire the night of November 30th, 1881. From Saint Lawrence Bay, 1 
came with the commanding officer overland through Siberia and Europe 
to the United Sta.tes. The remainder of the crew returned by vessel 
from Saint Lawrence Bay. 

Q. Ry what method did you cross Siberia ? — A. To the first Russian 
town we travelled by dog sledge, a distance of about eight hundred 
miles. From that town we searched the coast to the westward, I mean 
with dogs, for a distance of four hundred miles. From there we 
travelled by reindeer sledges to Verkhojansk, an inland town, and then 
to Yakoutsk on horse back. That was in the summer. I was then 
detached by Captain Berry and ordered to join Lieutenants Harber 
and Schuetze, who were sent out during the summer to search for one 
of the missing boats of the "Jeannette." 

Q. Have you given the subject of the relief of the Lady Franklin 
Bay expedition thought and consideration, and have you any project 
for the accomplishment of Lieutenant Greely 's relief ? — A. My views on 
that point I have put in writing in a communication addressed to the 
Board, which contains all I care to say on that subject. 

The paper referred to was read, and is as follows: 

Washington, D. C, December 26, 1883. 

To Board for relief of Lady Franklin Bay Expedition. 

Gentlemen : In accordance with the request of the Board to furnish it with any im- 
pressions I may have formed, concerning the organization and conduct of a relief 
expedition for Lieutenant Greely and part} T , I respectfully submit the following: 

Organization. 

The organization of the proposed expedition belongs properly to the Navy Depart- 
ment. 

The officer to command it should be a naval officer of Arctic experience, selected 
by the department, and ordered without regard to volunteering. Reason: All officers 
are opposed to the practice of volunteering, and there are many efficient officers, well 
calculated, both by inclination and requirements, who would refrain from volunteer- 
ing, even though it were made positively necessary to their eligibility: whereas the 
selection to command, by the Department, is such an honor that it would indeed be 
most unfortunate were it to hit upon a man who failed to appreciate the fact. 

The officers of the expedition should be selected by the commander of the expedi- 



32 PROCEEDINGS. 

tion, from all available officers of the navy, junior to himself. Reason . Officers of the 
navy arc preferred, because each should be capable of navigating a boat, and of per- 
forming all the duties incident to the ship, besides having been educated to military 
discipline. 

The crew should consist entirely of able seamen, selected by the commander of the 
expedition, from men who have served in the navy. Reason: The selection should be 
made by the commanding officer, in order that he may justly be held responsible for 
their efficiency and conduct. They should have served in the navy, that they may be 
thoroughly familiar with the discipline of that service. The necessity of discipline 
upon such an expedition is admitted by all. but its vital importance is impressed upon 
those who have taken part in Arctic work, when every man, not strictly under its influ- 
ence, feels that he has a right to express ami defend his opinion upon a subject not 
too well understood by any. 

The ship should be either the property of the United States Government, or she 
should be an American ship chartered by the Government, without officers or crew. 
She should be selected by the officer who is to command her, from all available steam 
vessels, and be purchased, if a foreign ship. Reason: The ship should sail under the 
American flag, and no other. 

The boats should lie of the type known as the " New Bedford whale-boat." they 
being specially adapted, both by their model and construction, for navigating through 
ice. ami being at the same time probably the best open sea boats in use. One or two 
lighter built boats should be furnished for use in quick sledge journeys over the ice, 
should such journeys lie required. In these lighter boats particular attention should 
be paid to the fastenings, as with good fastenings almost any injury may be repaired. 
Note : Lieutenant Berry devised a skin balsa to take the place of light boats in quick 
journeys by sledge. I think the plan a good one, but it was not tried, through lack 
of necessity. 

The ship should be provided, to take care of herself and the party she is to succor, 
for a term of two years. I believe no better guide can be followed than that adopted 
by the "Jeannette ' Relief Board, of which the late Admiral John Rodgers was presi- 
dent. 

Conduct. 

The relief ship should sail in time to reach Upernavik at the earliest possible 
moment. 

If the Greelv party is not found at that place, and there is no information there to 
warrant another course, the ship should proceed with the utmost dispatch to Littleton 
Island, from which point the entire conduct of the expedition should be left to the 
commanding officer. Reason : The commanding officer, having been selected for his 
coolness, judgment, and other requisite qualities, and having full knowledge of all 
facts now possessed, will (when actually upon the ground, and with additional infor- 
mation) be the most capable person of judging of the proper course to be pursued. 
Respectfully submitted, 

H. J. HUNT, 
Lieutenant. U. S. Navy. 

By General Haze:* : 

Q. Will you pi ease state your opinion in regard to the different kinds 
of skin clothing I — A. In the latitude we reached there was no skin 
clothing required in summer. We had excellent clothing in winter, 
consisting entirely of reindeer-skin. 

Q. Do you consider that better than sheepskin, or better than any 
other kind .' — A. I think it is better than any skin. It has more 
warmth for its weight. It is much lighter. 

Q. That is usually adopted by all Arctic people who can get it . ; — A. 
I think so. 

Q. Have you any idea where it can be procured? — A. Not on this 
coast. 

Q. Do yon know where the clothing for the "Bodgers" was secured ? — 
A. At Pefropaulovski principally, and part of it at Saint Michaels. 

Q. Ready-made, or did you buy the skins ami make it up ! — A. Both ; 
we had gome ready-made, and others we made up. After we landed, 
we had the native Chukches clothing, for which we traded. 



PROCEEDINGS. 33 

By Captain Davis : 

Q. Are the garments made of double thickness? — A. Yes, sir 

Q. With the hair inside and out? — A. Yes, sir; the inner lining has 
the hair inside, and the outer the hair outside. 

Q. What do they wear on their feet ? — A. Beindeer-skin boots, com- 
ing up to the knee. 

Q. With soles of thicker leather? — A. No, sir; the best soles were 
of the heavy seal-skin, with the hair inside, and some of them were 
fitted with bear-skin soles, with large hair outside. 

Q. In what season of the year were these sledge journeys made? — A. 
We started from Saint Lawrence Bay a month before leaving the station. 
The delay was caused by the loss of Mr. Putnam. From that point we 
started on the 8th of February. 

Q. And what average distance per day could you make with dogs 
during that journey, taking into account both the stormy and fair 
weather? — A. The distance is about eight hundred miles, and we 
actually made it, including all rests and stoppages, from the 8th of 
February to the 25th of March. 

Q. That is, in about forty-five days? — A. Yes, sir. 

Q. Did you travel on the land or on the ice principally ? — A. Both ; 
but principally along the coast on the land. 

Q. How many dogs made up a team ? — A. Our team consisted, at 
different times, of from fourteen to eighteen dogs. 

Q. And what weight had they to pull '? — A. The average weight, I 
think, must have been about twelve hundred pounds. 

Q. Less than one hundred pounds to a (fog? — A. Yes, sir. 

Q. What is regarded as a proper load for a dog in Siberia ? — A. For 
quick travelling, a dog is supposed to haul about half his weight, aver- 
aging from thirty-five to forty pounds, that is, for very rapid travelling. 
But they very often load as heavy as seventy -five or eighty pounds to 
a dog. 

Q. Are the Siberian dogs heavier than those of Greenland? — A. 
I do not know the Greenland dogs. These dogs would average about 
sixty or sixty-five pounds. 

Q. In the equipment of an expedition for that region, although you 
say that you would leave all discretion to the commanding officer, still 
he must have an equipment that will enable him to remain through a 
winter, if need be? — A. Yes, sir. 

Q. Could you specify what supplies should be taken in the way of 
dogs, sledges, and boats, for operations away from the ships? — A. I 
think that two teams of fourteen dogs each would be sufficient. That 
is, I think thirty dogs would be sufficient. I think it would be well to 
have four whale-boats, in addition to the ice-boats, for light travelling. 
A New Bedford whale-boat is rather a heavy boat. It is very strong, 
and a most excellent sea boat. 

Q. Would you expect to make use of boats and sledges in any single 
journey, combining the two?— A. I could not tell you that; I do not 
know the nature of the ice on this side at all. 

Q. Do the natives in Siberia ever suffer from scurvy? — A. I never 
knew of a case. 

By Geueral Hazen : 
Q. You had no scurvy in your party ? — A. I believe there were a few 
cases, light attacks of scurvy, after we separated from the party; but 
we had none in our party, 

3 



34 PROCEEDINGS. 

By Captain Davis: 

Q. Was lime-juice issued, or was it included in t lie preparation of 
pemmican \ — A. Wehadbothlime-jnicepemmican and plain pemmican. 

Q. Were the men inclined to eat it; did they like it % — A. I think 
they were all very fond of it after the loss of the ship. Before that we 
did not eat pemmican at all. I was very fond of pemmican alter we 
stinted. 

By General Hazen : 
Q. Do you know where the pemmican was secured? — A. I think it 
was made by a firm in Baltimore, but I am not certain. 

By Captain Davis : 

Q. What number of persons would you think should compose the 
complement of a vessel to go up there on this errand l — A. I think that 
the ship should be a small one, but it would depend on the ship that is 
to go. They might find a ship of larger size that was stronger and 
better adapted to the purpose; but I should think that a ship which 
would be fully and well manned by a crew of twenty men would be best. 

Q. And would be sufficient for your boating and sledging parties 
detached from the vessel, you think? — A. I think so. 

By Captain Greer : 

Q. Do you mean a total personnel of twenty? — A. No, sir; I mean 
twenty, not including the officers. 

Q. That would be a total personnel of about thirty or thirty-five ? — 
A. Yes, sir; about thirty, perhaps more, depending on the size of the 
ship. My opinion is that a smaller ship, provided you can get a 
proper one, would be better. 

By Captain Davis : 

Q. You feel a perfect confidence that such an expedition would 
be able to rescue the party ? — A. Yes, sir. 

Q. You would not think a tender or auxiliary vessel necessary ? — A. 
I do not think it absolutely necessary, but I think it would be an addi- 
tional precaution to send a tender. But she should have for her sole 
object the landing of stores and boats at Littleton Island. 

Q. In the event of the relief vessel failing to reach Lieutenant Greely, 
or to rescue him next season, you would, of course, expect to winter ? — 
A. Yes, sir; I think it very likely, too, that the best way of reaching 
Lieutenant Greely at an early period would be the way suggested by 
Captain Tyson, using these whale-boats, each of which could be navi- 
gated by four men and carry provisions for two months. 

After a short recess by the Board, the examination of witnesses was 
resumed. 

Lieut. Ernest A. Garlington, U. S. Army, in response to the 
invitation of the Board, appeared, and was questioned as follows: 

By Captain Davis: 
Question. The Board would thank you to give a brief statement of the 
experience you have had in the Arctic regions, giving the dates of such 
service, how, and where, employed. — Answer. I left New York City, 
June 12, 1883, in command of the Greely Belief Expedition on board 
the IT. 8. Steamer "Yan^c," arrived at Saint John's, Newfoundland, 
there 1 put my party on board the " Proteus " and took charge of 
her, left that port June 29, 1883, bound to Disco, Greenland, 



PROCEEDINGS. 35 

arrived there on the 6th of Jijly, sailed thence on the 10th for Little- 
ton [gland, where we arrived on the22d of July, then headed for Cape 
Prescott, but in the afternoon were stopped by the ice ; went into 
Payer Harbor and remained several hours. I then tried to work my 
way around into Buchanan Strait and along Bache Island, but on the 
evening of the 23d the ship was caught in the ice, crushed and sank. 
The next day, with the part of the stores saved, we landed on Cape 
Sabine, remained there one night and part of the day, then left in 
two whale-boats, with the "Proteus" crew in three boats, crossed 
Smith Sound to Life-Boat Cove, followed along the coast down 
to Cape York, arrived there on August 10th, and remained in that 
vicinity until the 16th, when I started across Melville Bay and arrived 
at Upernavik on the 23d of August, the party being the same as when 
I left Cape Sabine, with the exception of the boat commanded by Lieu- 
tenant Coiwell which had been detached at Cape York and sent direct 
to Disco. His boat had arrived at Upernavik the day before I did 
and gone on in a larger boat which had been borrowed from the Gov- 
ernor of the island. 

Q. Have you given the subject of the relief of the Lady Franklin Bay 
expedition thought and consideration, and have you any project for the 
accomplishing of Lieutenant Greely's relief? — A. I have given the 
subject thought, and have submitted a project, dated the 19th of Novem- 
ber, to the Chief Signal Officer of the Army, made in conjunction with 
Lieutenant Coiwell, the officer who had been with me on this expedition. 

The paper referred to was read, and is as follows : 

Washington, D. C, 19th November, 1883. 
To the Chief Signal Officer. 

Sir: I have the honor, in conjunction with Lieutenant Coiwell, U. S. Navy, to sub- 
mit the following project of a plan for the relief of Lieutenant Greely and his party 
during the coming season. 

The expedition to be commanded by myself, and the relief ship by Lieutenant Coi- 
well. 

This expedition should leave New York not later than the 10th of May. 

Two vessels should be fitted out; the relief ship proper of not more than 500, nor less 
than 300, tons measurement (gross), and a convoying ship of larger size. 

For the relief ship, one of the smaller class of steam whalers should be purchased. 
This purchase to be made, if possible, with the condition that the owners of the ship 
would re-purchase from the Government, if she were brought back in good order and 
condition, at a stipulated price. This vessel should be secured at once and put in 
thorough repair at one of the navy-yards. The hulls of these whalers are as strongly 
built as possible, and need little repair, but the equipment should be carefully and 
thoroughly overhauled under the personal supervision of the officer who will command 
her. Special attention should be paid to the boats, steering gear, navigating instru- 
ments, spars and rigging, hawsers, steam winches, capstan, boilers and engines. 
There should be a supply of ice saws, and ample facilities for ice blasting. The 
ship should be commanded as I have indicated. There should also be three watch 
officers, one engineer, and one surgeon. The crew should be speciall}* enlisted for 
the cruise, the greatest care given to their selection, and should consist of three 
machinists, one steward, four quartermasters, one ship's cook, six firemen, and eight 
seamen. There should be from the Army, two sergeants (observers) from the Signal 
Corps, and eight enlisted men from the line, selected by the commander of the expe- 
dition, these men to be used for sledging. The services of two or three Canadian 
voyageurs should be secured if possible. 

Supplies for fifteen months should be carried, although the probabilities are that the 
expedition would return to the United States in the fall of 1884. A sufficient number 
of sledges, made after a pattern to be determined upon after consultation with the best 
authorities on Arctic sledging, should be provided. Everything in the way of cloth- 
ing, provisions, arms and amunition, signalling apparatus, fishing tackle, &C, &C, 
must be most carefully attended to, and advantage taken of the advice and experience 
of those who have been in that region. Supplies for six months only should be carried 



36 PROCEEDINGS. 

by the relief ship, and all available space utilize^ for coal, of which not less than forty 
days' supply should be carried. 

The convoying ship could lie one of the third-rate vessels of the Navy. It would be 
necessary to strengthen her about the bows, put sheathing along her entire water-line : 
she should be fitted with a two-bladed screw, and be provided with a spare-screw and 
rudder. Her complement of officers and men should be reduced to a minimum, and 
all available space utilized for coal and provisions, including the additional nine 
months' supply of the latter for the relief ship. 

The Danish government should be requested at once to send orders to the Inspector 
of North Greenland to furnish dogs, drivers, dog harness, and interpreter, if possible. 
I do not think it advisable to get skin clothing in Greenland, but think it should be 
made in the United States. Duplicates of these orders should be requested, and 
given to the commander of the expedition, to guard against the failure of the ship 
arriving from Copenhagen. • 

The two ships should sail in company, the convoy having positive orders to go as 
far north as Cape Sabine. So early in the season as the end of May. it would proba- 
bly be impracticable for the convoy to cross Melville Bay. while the whaler could force 
its way through. If therefore, the ice was found to be very close and heavy in Mel- 
ville Bay, the convoy, in the discretion of the commanding officers, should be allowed 
to return to I pernavik, and remain until the middle of June before again attempting 
the passage — it would probably be found feasible by the 1st of July. The convoy 
should not abandon the attempt to reach Cape Sabine earlier than the 1st of October. 
The relief ship should be pushed, at the opening of the season, with the first of the 
Jones Sound whalers. All efforts should be directed to opening communication with 
the Cape York Eskimo. 

The ship could probably get within fifteen miles of Cape York early in June, when two 
lightly equipped sledges should at once be sent to communicate with the natives. If the 
Greely party, or any part of it, had reached Littleton Island, or were at that time any- 
where along the Greenland coast, these people would, in all probability, be aware of it, 
as they now know that a large part}" of white men are in the far north endeavoring to 
come south. 

If. from the natives at Cape York, it were ascertained that the Greely party had 
reached the Greenland coast, during the preceding winter or spring, the condition of 
the party and their necessities would be learned. Sledge parties should be at once 
organized, as many as possible of the natives with their sledges secured, and the 
parties started immediately for the camp of Greely. 

The natives are acquainted with the sledge route along the coast, have excellent 
dogs, (superior to those of the Danish settlements) and with light sledge loads could 
make very rapid time. This party should have orders to await the arrival of the ship 
at, or near. Pandora Harbor, or at the place they find the party — taking all precautions 
to advise the ship of their location on the way to the northward. 

Life-Boat Cove is but five days by sledge from Cape York in the season for 
sledging. 

If no tidings of Greely were received, it would be reasonably safe to conclude 
that they had not yet reached the Greenland coast, and the sledges should 
return to the ship. The ship should then proceed north as opportunities offered, 
visiting Cary Islands and communicating with the natives on Northumberland Island 
and Saunders Island for possible information. If no traces or news of the party is 
received at Littleton Island, the ship should at once proceed to Cape Sabine, estab- 
lishing a large depot at the most advantageous point in that neighborhood, then 
make a thorough examination there, and if nothing is found, return to Pandora Har- 
bor and wait for the ice in Smith Sound to break up and pan out. From Cape Sabine, 
in the absence of news of the party, a boat and sledge part}- should be sent to north- 
ward with all possible despatch. 

If the convoy should not arrive at Pandora Harbor by the 10th of July, the relief 
ship should cross to Cape Sabine ; and if the condition of the ice was not favorable 
for the northward progress of the ship, a boat expedition of two boats, crews of one 
officer and six men to each, loaded with as many supplies as they could carry, should 
proceed north with orders to communicate with Lieutenant Greely. When a junc- 
tion is made, the united parties should come south as rapidly as possible to meet the 
ship. The ship in the mean time should take advantage of every favorable oppor- 
tunity to proceed north, taking advantage of all necessary delays to send parties 
to examine all likely camping places for tidings of Greely. Such places as 
Alexandra Haven, south side of Bache Island. "Washington Irving Island, Franklin 
Pierce Bay, Scoresby Bay, Rawlins Bay. and the depot at Cape Hawks, Cape Cob 
linson, Carl Hitter Bay, Sue. 



PROCEEDINGS. 37 

In case of disaster to the ship, all articles saved should be conveyed to the nearest 
land and a camp established. One light boat, with four men, should be sent to Cape 
Sabine to communicate with the convoy, and one to the northward to communicate 
with the relief boats, assist them, and hurry their movements south with the Greely 
party. The convoying ship failing to cross Melville Bay in company with the relief 
ship, should be able to accomplish it about the 1st of Jul}-, and should reach Pandora 
Harbor, or that vicinity, about the 10th of July, where she would meet her consort and 
all final arrangements would be made. If she should find the relief ship gone, she 
should proceed at once to Cape Sabine, collect all the provisions in that vicinity and 
make one well-secured cache of the serviceable stores. She should look for, and pre- 
pare, a suitable place on the west side of Smith Sound for the winter station (prefer- 
ably Alexandra Haven), erect the winter house, and get the stores for the relief ship in 
readiness to land rapidly. If she receives news of disaster to relief ship, the stores 
should be at once landed. All available boats should be sent away to the assistance 
of the northern parties, and every precaution taken to avoid the possibility of the 
ships being blockaded in Buchanan Strait or Pa}*er Harbor, retreating, if necessaiy, to 
Pandora Harbor, leaving a small part}'' at the station established, to direct the parties 
as they arrived from the north. Signal communication should be established between 
Cape Sabine and Littleton Island, and at the first news from the northern parties the 
convoy should proceed to Cape Sabine and be ready to render any assistance. If no 
news was received by September 1st, preparations should be made for going into winter 
quarters at Life-Boat Cove, Foulke Fiord, or Pandora Harbor. After October 1st there 
would be no prospect of getting the party south that season, and the ship should be 
prepared for the winter. As soon as possible a lightly equipped sledge party should 
start up the east side of Smith Sound, and following approximately the track of Doctor 
Hayes in 1861, cross to the west side of the sound about Cape Hawks, where some 
news would certainly be obtained of the party. The crew of relief ship should 
also endeavor to communicate with Cape Sabine and the convoj'ing ship as soon after 
disaster or delay in ice as possible. 

The Greely party, their records and valuables, should be brought to the camp estab- 
lished on the west coast, and as early as practicable moved across the sound to 
the winter quarters of the convoy. 

This is an outline of the general course to be followed. The many possibilities of 
the case preclude definite instructions being given to cover all emergencies. The 
commander of the relief expedition should not be hampered with detailed orders, but 
should be directed to act according to his best judgment. 

It is imperative that the commanding officers should have the same orders as far as 
the co-operation of their respective commands is concerned, and a thorough under- 
standing between them should be insisted on before sailing from the United States, and 
at every point where the possibility of a separation could occur. These agreements 
should be reduced to writing, and each officer held to a strict performance of his part. 
The selection of officers and men for the relief ships and sledging party, should be 
left entirely to their commanding officers. The selection, preparation and disposition 
of equipments and supplies, should be under the personal supervision of the com- 
manding officers, and no interference with their plans, by theorists with no practical 
knowledge of the w r ork in hand, should be allowed. 

To properly equip an expedition, steps to procure a ship should be at once taken. 
There are but three steam whalers owned in the United States, and their whereabouts 
is unknown. Their owner has been communicated with, but he is now in San Fran- 
cisco and no answer has been received from him. 

A suitable vessel can be built in this country in about five months, at a cost of about 
$60,000. 

The steam sealers of Saint John's are all over ten years old, with one exception, 
built in 1874, and are out of repair. The price of the best of them is placed at $100,000 
by their owners. 

At Dundee, Scotland, where a fleet of steam whalers and sealers is owned, two com- 
paratively new vessels are available, one two years old and one four years old. Price 
unknown. Vessels of the class of the "Proteus," (six hundred and forty-seven tons 
measurement, gross) costing about $80,000 to build and equip, can be built in five 
or six months. As difficulty and delay are always experienced in obtaining dogs in 
Greenland, a supply might be procured from the Northwest Territory, with drivers to 
handle them. 

A rough estimate of the cost of an expedition based on the foregoing would be about 
$150,000 for the relief ship. The repairs to the ship being made at a navy-yard and 
the pay of the enlisted crew being from regular appropriations. 



38 PROCEEDINGS. 

Since vmting the above, have hoard of tour American whalers in San FrancisCo-^ 
one reported an excellent ship. 

Very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

(Signed.) E. A. GARLINGTON, 

1st Lieutenant, 1th Cavalry, A. S. O. 

Washington, D. C, 2Gth November, 1883, 

To tke Chief Signal Officer: 
Sir: In reply to your letter, I have the honor to submit an approximate estimate of 

the COSl of the expedition, based upon the accompanying plan, for the relief of 

Lieutenant Greely. Total cost. $169,200, distributed as follows: 

Purchase of ship $100, 000 

Pay of crew, fifteen months 35,000 

Subsistence sixty-nine men, fifteen months 15,000 

Medicines 1,000 

House t 1,200 

Extra and Arctic clothing 7, 000 

Incidental: dogs, dog food, oil stove, sledges, &c, &c 10, 000 

Total $100, 200 

Very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

(Signed.) E. A.^GARLINGTON. 

1st Lieutenant, 1th Cavalry, A. S. O. 

By General Hazen : 

Q. Have you any statement to add in addition to that ? — A. No, sir ; 
that is the plan, in the main. There are details as to the equipment, 
clothing, provision and sledges, the kind of boats, &c., which are not 
not touched upon in that plan. 

By Captain Davis : 

Q. You say in your memorandum or project, that the relief ship 
should be one of the smaller class of steam whalers. What inquiries 
have you made as to the availability of those vessels and the points 
from whence they can be obtained ? — A. I looked into the subject while 
at St. John's, and made inquiries as to the whaling fleet sailing from 
Dundee, and since I returned here I have made inquiries in regard to 
whalers owned in America. 

Q. What have you been able to ascertain in regard to American 
whalers i — A. All the United States steam whalers are on the Pacific 
coast. I think there are but three registered here, or were at the time 
the examination was made. But I have since learned that there are 
four in addition to those three; four have been built recently on the 
Pacific coast, which are pronounced to be excellent ships, and which 
fulfill all the conditions that are requisite in steam whalers. The best 
ships I have heard of are the " Thetis " and the " Resolute," of Dun- 
dec, Scotland. 

Q. How old are they i — A. Two and three years. 

Q . And what size \ — A. About the same size as the " Proteus " — about 
4G7 registered tons. 

(,). Did you make any inquiry as to the possibility of having vessels 
built by American ship-builders in time for such an expedition? — 
A. Yes, sir; I have had some correspondence, and Lieutenant Colwell 
wrote to some ship-builders— to the firm who had built these whalers 
that are now owned in Maine — and received a reply stating that a vessel 
could be built, fulfilling the conditions required, in six months from the 
time the order was given. It would require at least that, and 1 think, 
from talking to naval men, it would require a longer time. 

Q. Is there any difference in type, as you understand, between the 



PROCEEDINGS. 39 

sealers of Saint John's and the winders of Dundee ! — A. In the 
"Proteus "and tlie "Bear," the newest of the Saint John's sealers, 
their engines are placed differently: there is one whaler built the same 
way, with the engine amidships. All the other whalers have their 
engines astern or aft; all the steam-whalers, except the u Arctic," that 
I have been able to learn about. 

Q. Are those vessels full -powered ! — A. Yes, sir; I suppose they can 
make about seven or eight knots, and under favorable conditions they 
would make nine or nine and a half knots under steam alone. 

Q. What was the speed of the "Proteus"? — A. She could make 
about nine and a half knots. Her average was about seven and a half 
to eight knots. 

Q. At that rate of speed, what was her consumption of coal per 
diem ! — A. About twelve tons. 

Q. You are confident that these newest Dundee whalers are built 
with their engines abaft the main-mast ! — A. I was so informed by 
sailing captains at Saint John's. 

Q. You did not see any of the vessels? — A. No, sir; they were not 
in Saint John's. The "Bear," owned by Walter Grieve & Company, 
of Saint John's, is a good ship. She has new boilers, and is a sister 
ship of the " Proteus," of about the same size and dimensions. • 

Q. How old is she? — A. The same age — tenor eleven years. The 
■• Neptune " is also a good ship, and I was informed by some parties in 
Saint John's that there are two small ships there of less than 300 tons 
burthen, the "Iceland" and " Greenland," I think. They are small 
ships, both have propeller wells, &c, and it is claimed, well fitted for 
this work; they are about the proper size, I think. 

Q. What would you regard as the chance of getting a vessel into 
Lady Franklin Bay next season — a relief vessel 1 mean — considering 
all the probabilities of the case ? — A. From conversation with people 
in Greenland, and as near as they can find out from records which 
they keep and information they get from people who have been up 
there, they seem to think there is an open season once in seven years. 
But that of course is merely guess-work ; I think the chances are against 
it — against getting up to Lady Franklin Bay, always. 

Q. Would you regard it as probable that a boat expedition could 
have reached Lady Franklin Bay last summer, judging from what you 
saw! — A. A boat expedition, purely, could not have done anything 
at all while I was there ; could not have made any progress north. A 
sledging and boat party could have gotten at least to Cape Hawks or 
Cape Prescott. 

Q. How much ice would they have been obliged to cross to reach the 
open water around Cape Hawks ? — A. Ten or fifteen miles would have 
brought them to opeu water. At one time while we were there, we 
could have gotten to opeu water within a few hundred yards. 

Q. From your experience in returning from Littleton Island, passing 
through such ice as you saw getting down to Melville Bay and through 
it. how large a crew for a whale-boat would you consider necessary to 
haul it out on ice?— A. With a whale-boat of the size we had, a crew 
of six meo could get it out, if the ice was not over six inches above the 
water: more than six inches above it they could not pull it out. We 
had seven men in one boat and eight in another, and we had to u double 
up 7 ' every time the boats were pulled out. I think that the boats 
should be smaller. One of the boats I refer to was twenty-eight and 
a half feet long and the other thirty feet over all. 



40 PROCEEDINGS. 

Q. When you speak of six men not being able to pull them out of 
the water, you refer, of course, to the boats and their contents ? — A. 
Yes. sir; they were loaded with thirty days' supplies. 

(,). And it took a relay of men to get them out — a "doubling up" 
of the crew:' — A. Yes. sir: and there are times when it is impossible 
to do that. Boats have to be pulled up very hurriedly, and the boat's 
own crew should be able to get it out of the water. 

Q. Did you have a steam-launch aboard the "Proteus"? — A. No, sir. 

Q. Would an ordinary steam-launch be useful and efficacious in navi- 
gating the waters of Smith Sound- in the autumn? — A. No, sir; I 
think not. The only steam-launches that would be of any use at all 
are those which use oil for fuel and have their screws under the boat in 
some way. I forget the name of the launch. 

Q. You have not seen any such ? — A. No, sir; but I have had them 
described to me ; they use them on the Pacific coast. On account of 
the weight, there would be an objection to a steam-launch — getting it 
on the ice, pulling it out. 

Q. Who has any knowledge of the boats you speak off — A. Lieu- 
tenant Pay spoke to me of a boat of that kind, and I also talked with 
Lieutenant Colw r ell about them — he knows of a boat. I do not think 
he has ever seen one, but he knows about it from reading or otherwise. 
I think a boat twenty feet long, with bilge keels, would be better for 
that work. 

Q. One that could be put on runners f — A. Keels serve the purpose, 
to a certain extent, of runners. The boats can be pulled on the ice 
without subjecting tliem to so much strain. When the ordinary boats 
are pulled out on the ice-floes, the w r hole strain comes on the keel and it 
is apt to break it. 

Q . Where have keel boats, such as you describe, been recently used ? — 
A. I do not know of their having been used except by one expedition, 
Parry's, long ago. But he made a more successful sledge-boat expedi- 
tion than has ever been made since, with other appliances. 

Q. What kind of clothing were you furnished with on your last 
Arctic expedition f — A. I carried from here buffalo overcoats, german 
socks, mitts made of the same material as the socks, some oil-tanned 
moccasins and arctic overshoes. I took some buffalo shoes also and 
sheepskin sleeping-bags, and in Saint John's I got a lot of seal-skin 
clothing, made in Greenland, for the expedition of LS82. This clothing 
was made up about Disco. 

Q. Y r ou did not have occasion to make much use of your Arctic 
clothing ? — A. We used it on the boat, coming back, to some extent. 

Q. But you did not have any very low temperatures ? — A. No, sir. 
I used it enough to form the opinion that clothing obtained in Green- 
land would prove inefficient in extremely cold weather. 

Q. You say that was seal-skin clothing? — A. Y'es, sir. 

Q. Did you have any dog-skin clothing? — A. No, sir. You cannot 
get dog-skin clothing in Greenland; they monopolize that themselves 
and can't get enough for their own use. 

Q. Were the buffalo overcoats of service to you ? — A. They w r ere 
good for sleeping in, but they are of no account when you have to 
engage in hard work, for they are made in a clumsy way, and the buf- 
falo-skin is heavy. 

(,). What were the sleeping-bags made of? — A. Of sheepskin. 

Q. Have you seen clothing made of reindeer skin ? — A. I have not, 
but every man who has been to the Arctic regions and lias had any 



PROCEEDINGS. * 41 

experience there sledging*, &c, recommends it as the best clothing, 
beyond all question. I think sheepskin clothing for an inner garment 
would be as good, or very nearly so, as reindeer. 

Q. Do you know anything of the possibility of obtaining deer-skin 
clothing in time for an expedition next summer! — A. There is no place 
where it can be obtained, except it be in Norway or Sweden. I think 
In some parts of Norway they have immense herds of reindeer. . 

Q. You think an inquiry there might show that it was obtainable? — ■ 
A. I think so. 

Q. Do you know whether the Hudson's Bay Company trade in it and 
have it as an article of merchandise? — A. I do not; but I think it 
extremely unlikely, because the English expeditions were not fitted 
with it at all; and none of the expeditions, so far as I have been able 
to find out, were fitted with reindeer clothing; they had to get it for 
themselves. 

Q. You had no occasion to make use of your dogs in any sledging 
journey? — A. No, sir; I used them a little on the ice-floe after the ship 
was lost. 

Q. Where were your sledges made? — A. They were made here. 

Q. What was their capacity? — A. I think the larger ones would 
carry a ton. 

Q. How many did you have? — A. Two large ones, and a small one 
which would carry about half that amount. 

By Lieutenant- Commander McCalla : 

Q. I believe you said that the seal -skin clothing was not good or was 
not serviceable. Please state on what you base that opinion, if 3011 did 
not use it much ? — A. I did not use it myself, but some of the men did. 
Men in my party used it all the way from Cape Sabine to Upernavik. 

Q. What was the difficulty in regard to it? — A. Seal skin is cold to 
begin with; it has no warmth, particularly the hair-seal, and if it gets 
wet it is just like a dish-rag; it absorbs water. 

Q. It is not water-proof? — A. Not at all. 

Q. Where did you get it? — A. In Saint John's. 

Q. What clothing did you have for each man ? — A. A double jumper 
and a pair of trousers; that was the suit. 

Q. Any seal-skin covering for the feet? — A. No, sir; but I got a few 
seal-skin boots in Saint John's. 

Q. Is that the only arrangement you made for the winter in the way 
of covering for the feet; I mean in regard to seal-skin clothing. I 
thought you might have bought some in Greenland? — A. No, sir; it 
has been stated repeatedly that the request from this government to 
the Danish authorities met with no response, so far as Greenland was 
concerned. Almost every man, though, got himself a pair of those 
Esquimaux moccasins or boots. 

Q. How high did they come? — A. About half way up to the knee. 

Q. The clothing that did not prove good, did it come from New- 
foundland? — A. No, sir; it came from Greenland. It was provided 
for the expedition of 1882, and was not used by them. 

Q. Then it was clothing bought in 1882 in Greenland which remained 
last winter in Newfoundland? — A. Yes, sir. 

Q. Was the hair taken oft'? — A. No, sir. 

Q. The trousers were not double thickness? — A. No, sir. 

Q. Anything for the head in the way of seal -skin? — A. No, sir; they 
never use seal -skin. We had fur caps. 

Q. The jumpers had no hoods? — A. Yes, sir; they had hoods and 



41* * PROCEEDINGS. 

they pulled them over the cap or whatever they wore under the hoods. 

Q. Do you remember what rations were left at Gape Sabine? — A. I 
estimated the number of rations put by Lieutenant Colwell on that 
iirst boat, as live hundred rations: he thinks there were six hundred 
and fifty rations. 

Q. That is simply an estimate ? — Yes, sir. 

Q. How far was it from the eastern extremity of Cape Sabine? — A. 
About three miles and a half to the west. 

By Captain Davis: 
Q. Did you see those stores after they were landed? — A. No, sir; I 
did not. They were landed by Lieutenant Colwell. 

By Lieutenant-Commander McCalla: 

Q. You spoke of boilers being placed amidships. I suppose you 
mean well forward, where the vessel has the greatest beam ? — A. Yes, 
sir. I do not know whether I stated it correctly, technically. I know 
nothing about naval architecture. 

Q Then that is a non-professional opinion merely ? — A. It is what I 
have learned from those sailing people, that when the engines or boilers 
are put amidships, it is impossible to brace the ship; they cannot get 
those cross-beams in there. 

Q. Who told you this? — A. I talked with the chief engineer of the 
u Proteus " about it, and with Mr. Norman, the first officer of two of 
those expeditions, and also with Captain Pike, and with the officers of 
the " Proteus," going up. 

Q. I think you said that the "Proteus" consumed about twelve tons 
of coal. Might not that have been about seven or eight tons, or as low 
as that !— A. I do not think so. 

Q. Do you remember how you got the information about it ? — A. 
From what Captain Pike told me. I do not state it positively but think 
that was about it. 

Q. In your estimate of the whale-boat's dimensions, I think you said 
they were twenty-eight feet long? — A. One twenty-eight and a half 
feet and one thirty. 

Q. How many did you have in the ship, furnished for the relief 
expedition proper? — A. I had two whale-boats and one dingy. 

By Captain Davis : 

Q. Where were the boilers and engines of the " Proteus "? — A. They 
were amidships. 

Q. In the region of the boilers and engine of the "Proteus" was 
there a cross bracing? — A. There was only one beam or one brace about 
the engine room, a timber one. The " Proteus" had been caught in the 
ice at one time and kept in the ice all of one season and subjected to 
more or less strain, and after they got her out they put some diag- 
onal braces in her, on the sides. 

Q. They were not in the ship when built? — A. No, sir. 

By Lieutenant-Commander McCalla: 

Q. Have you seen any of these Dundee whalers? — A. No, sir; but I 
have seen several of the Saint John's sealers that are built on the same 
plan. The "Thetis" and the " Resolute" are considered by everybody 
up there as the best ships afloat of that character, because they are new. 
and in building them they had the experience of years. I talked with 
several Newfoundland people about it. 

Q. These whalers do not go to Saint John's, do they ? — A. Not as a 



PROCEEDINGS. 43 

general rule, but some of them make a trip sealing before they go 
whaling. But a great many of these people 'are Scotchmen ; go back 
and forth, and are acquainted with all these whaling captains. 

By Captain Davis: 

Q. Do you think there would be any difficulty next season in getting 
dogs for sledging in Greenland 1 — A. That depends upon whether they 
have any dog disease there this year or not. I could have gotten them 
the year I was up. 

Q. You did get all the dogs you needed? — A. Yes, sir; but those 
dogs had been bought the year before, and had been left with the Gov- 
ernor of Disco. I left a request for thirty dogs to be furnished the 
expedition of this year, and also a request for as many dog-skin sleep- 
ing-bags as could be got; but that number would be very few, because 
the dog-skins are very scarce, and, as I stated before, they keep them 
all for their own use. 

By Lieutenant-Commander McCalla : 

Q. Did you leave that request with the Governor? — A. I left it with 
Governor Elborg, at Upernavik to be sent down to the Inspector at 
Disco, by the mail this winter, as Commander Wildes declined to stop 
at Disco on the way back. 

Q. When was the mail to go down? — A. They make one trip every 
year from Upernavik to Disco as soon as the season is favorable. 

By Captain Davis : 

Q. That communication is probably at Disco before this time '? — A. 
No, sir; I think they make the trip in February, or about then. 

By Lieutenant-Commander McCalla : 

Q. Then the request would not get there before February ? — A. Not 
until spring, probably not until March, and then there is no certainty 
of his acting on it in the absence of instructions from his home gov- 
ernment. They will not do much, if anything, unless they have 
orders, and whatever supplies are to be gotten from Greenland on this 
next expedition, duplicate orders should be carried by the vessel which 
goes up there. 

Q. How is that mail taken down in February ? — A. By sledges. 

Q. Did you hear whether they ever failed to communicate by mail 
during any winter ? — A. I did not ; 1 was informed they made the trip 
once every winter. Doctor Pavy made the trip the year before he went 
up with Lieutenant Greely. 

By Captain Davis : 

Q. Of the provisions that you saw in caches, what portion of them 
could be relied on for use during the coming season ? — A. I think every 
tiling was intact and in perfect condition in the caches left by Mr. 
Beebe. Of those I saw, left by the English expedition, I estimated that 
sixty per cent., at least, were in good condition. 

Q. That is at the Cary Islands? — A. Yes, sir; and the probabilities 
are that seventy-five per cent., at least, would be eatable. 

Q. Were there Esquimaux around Cape Ohlsen this season? — A. I 
saw no recent traces of Esquimaux until we got, to Saunders Island; 
they had evidently been there within a month. There were also Esqui- 
maux on Northumberland Island. 

Q. Did not Mr. Beebe leave some supplies at Littleton Island ? — A. 
He did. 



44 PROCEEDINGS. 

Q. Did you examine that cache I — A. I did not. 

Q. I know there was some apprehension expressed by hiin in his report 
that the Esquimaux might get at those supplies and appropriate them, 
and it would be interesting to know whether they were intact ? — A. I 
do not think they have interfered with them, because he secreted the 
provisions, and left a record in the coal, describing the locality where 
they could be found. 

By Lieutenant-Commander McOalla : 

Q. At how many points did you land on the west coast of Greenland 
south of Littleton Island, coming down f — A. I landed at Pandora 
Harbor, Sontag Bay, Cape Chalon, Cape Saumarez, Cape Parry, and 
also near Cape Kadcliffe, Cape Athol, and between Cape Athol and 
Potowik Glacier, and landed two or three times between that point 
and Cape York. 

By Captain Davis : 

Q. Where did you see your first Esquimaux in coming down? — A. 
At Cape York. 

Q. Did you mention having seen them at Saunders Island? — A. From 
the signs, I should judge they had been there about* a month before. 
I saw an Esquimaux dog' there. 

The most important article of Arctic clothing is the foot-gear. That 
will all have to be made before leaving the United States. That has 
caused the most trouble to all expeditions. 

Q. Could proper equipment for the feet be obtained around Assina- 
boine, Pembina, or in Moutaua ? — A. I think not. 

By Captain Greer : 

Q. From your reading and experience, of what should you say the 
foot-gear ought to consist ? — A. I think a soled canvas boot with blanket 
foot- wraps, blanket inner-soles, and soft pliable straw inside, is the best 
thing. 

By Captain Davis : 

Q. Have you seen such in use ? — A. I never saw them used. These 
northern people use something similar to that. The great difficulty 
about foot-gear is caused by perspiration. All these fur coverings 
cause the feet to perspire, and as soon as you stop, it is the same as 
if your feet were wet, then follow frost bites and inflammation of the 
feet. In this journey we had in the boats, I suffered a good deal with 
my feet on that account, and Doctor Harrison has not yet recovered 
from the effects of the same thing. I think that these german socks 
they use on the frontier and in the extreme northwest, and what they 
call shoe-packs, would be worth a trial any way. I think a variety of 
these things should be provided so that by trial you could get the best. 
You do not want anything to confine the foot or cramp it. 

Q. Lieutenant Schwatka in his journey to King William Land, speaks 
of suffering very greatly from his feet being cut by rocks and stones 
when ho was using moccasins ? — A. That is the reason I think a sole 
would be better. It is all rock up there on the coast, and there is no 
soil to walk on. As soon as you leave the ice you get on these sharp 
stones and it is very hard on the feet, as it is also in walking on hum- 
mocky ice, broken ice. 

Q. Is the mainland down to the water covered with moss about 
Cape York, and above? — A. No, sir. Where it is not perpendicular 
rock it is either shelving sandstone rock, gneiss, or granite, and 



PROCEEDINGS. 45 

where there is anything approximating to a beach you only see little 
patches of moss among the boulders; but there is a good deal uear 
old glaciers where there is much moisture. I think that the ship that 
goes there next year should be up to the ice by the 30th of May ; 
otherwise I think the Dundee whalers will rescue the party if they 
come down. 

By Lieutenant-Commander McOalla : 

Q. What time do the whalers leave Dundee and Peterhead? — A. I 
do not remember, but their aim is to get to the ice about the 1st of 
June. 

Q. Do you mean to Melville Bay? — A. Yes, sir. 

Q. Melville Bay, or further south? — A. No, up to what they call the 
uorthern passage. 

By Captain Davis : 

Q. Don't they first go to the mouth of Cumberland Gulf and cross 
from there? — A. No, sir; not to my knowledge. They go direct 
to Melville Bay and cross over. They have to be on the other side 
by July 1st. 

Q. What do you mean by "the other side"? — A. Across Melville 
Bay in Jones Sound, and unless they do get across they generally 
abandon it, go down and take a southern passage. 

Q. How early in the season have you heard of the whalers reaching 
Cape York? — A. June 12th is the earliest on record to 1873. 

Q. On what date do they generally, or usually, get there ? — A. Any 
time from that until the last of June; if they do not get across by the 
last of June they abandon it. 

Q. Where do you think Lieutenant Greely will be found ? — A. I 
think on the coast of Greenland. 

Q. Above Cape York? — A. Yes, sir; unless his party has been 
weakened and rendered unfit to travel. 

Q. Do you think he failed to start last fall ? — A. I think so; because 
in the first place it was impossible for him to come down by sledge 
in the fall of the year, and if he started in his boats he would 
have had to start in the latter part of July or very early in August. 
I do not think he started that early, because he labored under the 
impression that the station was to be kept up another year, and it was 
contemplated he would be there about the first of September. In addi- 
tion to that, I do not think the condition of the ice, from what I saw, 
was such as to allow him to leave Lady Franklin Bay in boats. 

By Lieutenant-Commander McCalla : 

Q. Of course you could not judge of the condition of the ice in 
Kennedy Channel by what it was at Cape Sabine ? — A. You could form 
some idea. If the ice had not passed out of Smith Sound, the suppo- 
sition was justifiable that he was up there. Kennedy Channel is com- 
paratively short, but he could not get down unless he had open water. 

Q. Do you know how long Kennedy Channel is ? — A. About sixty 
miles, I think. 

By General Hazen : 

Q. Taking into consideration the fact that he was under orders to 
leave, don't yon think he would have gotten away last summer ? — A. 
No, sir; I do not think he would, because we know from all the 
attempts that were made last year to get to the Arctic regions, it was 
a very bad season. 



U> PROCEEDINGS. 

By Lieutenant- Commander McGalla: 

(,). Don't you think if he had found open water in Kennedy Channel 
and had been ordered to come south, he would have taken the steam 
cutter and come south I — A. 1 think he would. 

Q. And a northeasterly wind which would block Smith Sound at 
the entrance, would be likely to clear Kennedy Channel of ice I — A. It 
depends upon what body of ice had passed out of Smith Sound at the 
beginning of the season. 

Q. 1 speak with reference to what you saw when you went up 
there: you found it blocked! — A. Yes, sir. If the ice in the lower 
part of Smith Sound had moved out and they had a north wind, the 
ice would come down. But if it did not move down, it would not 
necessarily clear Kennedy Channel. 

By Captain Davis : 

Q. Do you think there is any probability that Lieutenant Greely at- 
tempted last spring to send down to find out as to the success 
or failure of the Beebe expedition ? — A- He did not evidently get down 
as far as Cape Sabine, if such an effort was made. I think it would 
have been natural for him to have tried it, however. 

Q. Supposing he starts next spring from Lady Franklin Bay, do you 
think he will have great difficulty in getting to Sabine by means of 
sledges I — A. He would have to drag his sledges all the way and it 
would be a hard trip, of course. 

Q. He had some dogs hadn't he '? — A. Very few; I do not think he 
had over three or four dogs. I gather from Captain Pike and those 
people who were with him there, that nearly all had died at the time 
the ship left. 

Q. Do you think he would have any difficulty in getting across 
Smith Sound to Littleton Island l — A. I think he would have diffi- 
culty in getting across with sledges. If lie followed the track of 
Doctor Hayes I think very likely he would get across. 

By Lieutenant-Commander McCalla: 

Q. Of course it would depend entirely on the character of the ice, no 
matter whose track it was? — A. Of course I know it depends on the 
character of the ice, but I am speaking now of the probable presence 
of water between Sabine and Littleton. 

Bv General Hazen :. 

Q. Is there not a current setting through the sound? — A. Yes, sir; 
there is a strong current out of Buchanan Strait, a strong current in 
Smith Sound and a strong tide current. Doctor Kane's experience, 
and Haves', and that of the "Polaris" people show there is always 
more or less water in the entrance to Smith Sound. 

Q. The wind and currents keep it open I — A. Yes, sir: which makes 
it impossible for a sledge party to cross, and extremely difficult for a 
boat. But up above, striking over from Cape Ingleiield they might 
find comparatively good travelling. 

Lieut. P. H. Bay, U. S. Army, having been requested to appear 
before the Board, made the following statement in answer to interrog- 
atories : 

By Captain Davis : 

Question. Will you please state to the Board what experience you 

have had in the Arctic regions, giving the dates of such service, how, and 



PROCEEDINGS. 47 

where employed .'—Answer. My experience in the Arctic regions com- 
menced in 1881 when I left the United States on board the steamer " Gol 
den Fleece" for a voyage to Point Barrow. I passed into Behring Strait 
in August of that year, reaching my destination <>n the 8th of Sep- 
tember. I there established a station, maintained it, and carried on 
the observations required of me by the Chief Signal Officer, from that 
time until the 29th of August, 1883, when I broke up the station and 
came back to the United States through Akotan Pass and by way of 
San Francisco. 

Q. Yon were at Point Barrow how long? — A. Two years, lacking 
nine days. During that time I made three different expeditions from 
the Point to the interior, with dogs. In 1881 I made a trip of a little 
over one hundred miles into the interior for the purpose of pro- 
curing fresh meat. In the spring of 1882 I made an expedition 
and travelled in all one hundred and fifty miles south, in a direct line. 
In the spring of 1883 I also went eastward along the coast forty-five 
miles to the mouth of a river I had discovered. The sledging alto- 
gether, for hunting and exploration, footed up between seven hundred 
and eight hundred miles, the most of which I did alone or with the 
natives; I was the only white man. 

Q. In what season of the year were these journeys made? — A. In 
March and April. 

Q. Did you have an equipment of dogs ?— A. I used dogs; there is 
no other transportation on that coast. 

Q. Have yon given the subject of the relief of the Lady Franklin Bay 
expedition thought and consideration, and have you any project for the 
accomplishment of Lieutenant Greely's relief! — A. I have given it con- 
siderable thought, and so far as my experience on the western side 
would guide me, I think there is but one course to pursue, and that is 
to have at least one strong vessel, probably with a tender, sent out ; to 
have that vessel strongly built and fitted for the ice, and to start so 
that it will come up with the ice the latter part of May or the first of 
June and follow it right up. If she should not reach him any- 
where about the 1st of September, I should then land a small 
party, well equipped, with a house, fuel, and everything prepared 
to winter, and allow the ship to come south, witli the understand- 
ing that the party left on land should push on to the point where 
Lieutenant Greely was left, and, if possible, when the sun came back 
in the spring so that sledges, could be used, have him aud his party 
brought back down the coast to a point agreed upon before the vessel 
left. All those details could be arranged by a person who knows more 
about the region than I do. The party left there should have sledges 
and dogs and be furnished with skin-boats for crossing water-leads, 
and the sledges should be made so that the people could travel the 
same as the Esquimaux do along the northern coast of North America 
and Siberia. There they make long journeys of two hundred or three 
hundred miles in March, April, May and June by having skin-boats, 
which they put on their sledges and take along with them, and which 
are easily put into the water aud hauled out. These boats are of light 
weight, say, one hundred pounds, and carry ten or twelve people. 

Q. Of what is the frame- work of those boats made I — A. It is made 
of spruce and other drift-wood that they pick up on the coast, lashed 
together with whalebone lashings. These boats are from thirty to 
thirty lour feet long, about seven feet beam, and fiat on the bottom. 
It takes three or four walrus hides to cover one boat. 



48 PROCEEDINGS. 

By General II azex : 
( v ). Where are such boats to be obtained ? — A. The nearest place I 
know is Saint Michaels. 

By Captain Davis: 

Q. They put to sea in them 1 — A. Yes, sir; I have seen them fif- 
teen miles out at sea. 

Q. They weigh how much ? — A. Seventy-five to one hundred pounds, 
and some one hundred and titty pounds, including frame-work and 
everything. I have had two men take them up and walk off with 
them, and 1 have seen twenty persons in one of those boats. A ton 
to a ton and one-halt* of freight is an ordinary load. The three tim- 
bers in the bottom make up the greater part of the weight. When 
the skin is wet the boat will weigh more. I give the dry weight. 
Four men at any time can pick up such a boat and walk off with it. 

Q. Is it propelled by paddles :' — A. Yes, sir; by paddles and sail. 
They run square before the wind, free, and in travelling alongshore, 
whenever the beach is open, they put dogs on a line and tow them like 
a canal boat, and make ten or fifteen miles a day in that way. That 
type of boat would be an excellent one to have along in addition to 
the ordinary whale-boats. In crossing the ice I know of no boat 
equal to them, and a number of whale-ships are adopting them; I saw 
several this year. 

Q. Do they use them as whale-boats ? — A. No; but they keep them 
in case of necessity and use them for light work paddling around. 
They are much handier than a dingy. 

Q. Have you seen anything of the whalers of the Pacific — steam- 
whalers t — A. I have been on board of every steam-whaler in the 
Pacific, and on twenty-seven other whale-ships. I think I have been on 
all American whale-ships except three. 

Q. How many of these steamers are there ? — A. Four from San Fran- 
cisco and three from New Bedford. 

Q. Where were those vessels built ? — A. Four in San Francisco, and 
the other three in New Bedford, I think. 

Q. What is the size of the most improved type of the steam-whalers 
in the Pacific l — A. I cannot give displacement. The best type of the 
improved vessel is one called the u Narwhal." Her registered tonnage, 
new measurement, taking out engines, boilers, and cabin room, was 
389 T 6 o 7 o tons; registered horse power, 2f5, and draught, twelve feet; 
consumption of coal for twenty-four hours about four and a half tons. 

Q. You are confident about the consumption of the coal f — A. Yes, 
sir; that was told me. and I took it down. 

Q. What would probably be the displacement of that vessel t — A. I 
do not know. It is generally from thirty to forty per cent., in excess 
of the registered tonnage. 

Q. What was the length and beam of that vessel ?— A. I do not 
remember, and I could not get that information here. 

Q. What speed could she maintain in a smooth sea f — A. I was on 
board the "Bowhead," a vessel of 395 tons, 280 indicated horse power, 
and drawing eighteen feet, when she was making eight knots in still 
water. But I have seen her make thirteen and a half knots under 
sail and steam. 

Q. Has the -Narwhal" as great speed as the "Bowhead"? — A. Yes, 
sir. I have never seen that decided in any test, but the captain told 
me he could make better speed than the "Bowhead." The latter was 



PROCEEDINGS. 49 

built in 1882, and the other in 1883. The " Bowhead" was an experi- 
ment, and after trying her they built the other three. 

Q. What was the rig of the " Narwhal "1 — A. She was bark-rigged, 
full. The " Bowhead " is light rigged ; her spars were lighter, but the 
others were all full-rigged barks. 

Q. Where and how was the maehinery of the " Narwhal" located ? 
— A. Her boilers and everything were abaft the main-mast. Her 
smoke-stack Avas, I judged, fifteen or twenty feet forward of the miz- 
zen-mast. Her shaft was not over forty feet long from the coupling, 
back to the screw. The engines were way aft. 

Q. Where were the cabin of the oificers and the quarters of the crew ? 
— A. On deck above. The floor of the cabin is flush with the spar- 
deck. They are deck cabins. 

Q. And the waist of the ship was occupied by the coal, oil, and 
casks ! — A. There are no casks on these ships. The lower hold is built 
in sections, of half-inch iron tanks, built to fit the ship exactly, and ip 
between decks is the blubber room, in the waist of the ship. 

Q. You have never seen any of the Dundee whalers ? — A. I know 
nothing of them except from hearsay. These vessels for about eight 
or nine feet forward from the stem are solid timber. They are very 
heavy and strong. Their side timbers are only about four inches apart, 
are sawed out to fit accurately, and the outer sheathing is of oak. 
From two feet above the water-line down to the keel they are sheathed 
with six inches of white oak, and back from the cut-water forty feet 
and down to the keel they are sheathed with boiler-iron,* the stem is 
very raking so that in running her into the ice, they do not hesitate 
where they wish to break through, to run right on, riding right up on 
the pack, and if that does not give way beneath, they slip back into 
the water. 

Q. The sledging you did in Alaska was on land? — A. Yes, sir; 
principally. I did a little on one stretch along the sea where I travel- 
led about twenty miles on foot. The tide is practically nothing up there, 
so that there is no ice-foot, and it is very fair travelling on the ice along 
the shore. 

Q. What kind of Arctic clothing were you supplied with for your 
stay in Alaska ? — A. the clothing I wore entirely during the winter 
was made of deer-skins by the natives and procured there. I bought 
the skins from them. Part of the men's clothing was made of skins 
purchased in Siberia by Captain Hooper and turned over to me in 
Plover Bay. Reindeer is the only clothing an Indian will use. You 
cannot get him to use seal-skiu. There is no warmth to it; it is very 
cold and they will not use it even for boots. 

Q. Is there any trader in San Francisco who would have this clothing 
on hand ! — A. Xot unless the Alaska Commercial Company have 
some. They make it an item of trade with the Indians at the mouth 
of the Yukon, and they may possibly have some skins on hand. When 
I was there in 1881 they had some skins I would rather have than 
deer-skins, these pup fur-seal. 

Q . Are they expensive ? — A. No, sir; they are valueless in the market. 
The natives on the island were allowed to kill 10,000 of them a year 
for food ; these skins fall into the hands of the compauy and they use 
them for clothing and other purposes ; they had a number when I went 
up there. They would make fine artegas. The ordinary dog-skin will 
make the best artega that I know of — that is the native name for 
jumper. 



50 PROCEEDINGS. 

By General Hazen : 

( v ). Do you think the native dog-skins here would be suitable ? — A. 
Yes. sir. Skins of dogs like the setter and the finer kinds of Newfound- 
land dog would make fine junipers. The trouble with all that cloth- 
iug which is made in that country is, that the Esquimaux do not know 
anything about tanning, except the Chukches. The Esquimaux simply 
dry and scrape the skin and it becomes offensive in a short time 
especially when wet. 

By Captain Davis: 

Q. What kind of foot-gear did you use? — A. The native foot-gear. 

The leg of the winter boot, up to the knee, is made from the skin taken 

from the leg of a reindeer that lias short smooth hair, the snow will not 

adhere to it at all — the sole is of seal-skin, cringed to fit the upper. 

By Lieutenant-Commander McCalla : 

" Q. Are they water-proof 1 — A. No, sir; not water-proof. But that 
is not necessary until the snow begins to soften. These seal-skin boots 
that the whaling people use are not winter boots, and cannot be w r orn 
in winter; they are too cold. I tried to wear them, and found from 
experience they needed a fur cover for the upper part of the foot, and 
under the foot we always wore the scrapings of whalebone; we made 
a pad of that and put it underneath the foot. It absorbs the moisture 
from the foot, and is the finest foot-gear I ever saw. 

By Captain Davis : 

Q. What socks did you use? — A. There I found the natives wearing 
deer-skin, but from San Francisco I had some fine sheepskins, the 
wool cut oif pretty close, and I had the natives make socks of them, 
and they preferred them. 

By General Hazen : 

Q. It was sheepskin with the wool inside! — A. Yes, sir. I could 
give you the pattern. The5~ need to fit the foot nice and snug. The 
moment you make them loose, you ruin the gear. I wore them, with 
my wiiole party, and we found them excellent. 

Q. You had no frost bites? — A. No trouble at all. The longest 
trip I made on foot was forty-eight miles in thirteen hours with that 
kind of gear, and my feet were in as good condition when I came home 
as when I started out. 

Q. What temperature have you had when travelling ? — A. Banging 
between — 30° and — 45°. I had no tents; never used them. I slept 
in snow. I made an igloo every night. And any party going out there 
should be furnished with a long broad knife, made strong, with a handle 
that a man could take hold of with two hands, the same as the Esqui- 
maux use. 

Q. A kind of spatula? — A. Yes, sir; and with snow shovel and a 
knife — that would make up the gear. 

Q. How many dogs to a team do they use? — A. That depends on 
circumstances. You rarely ever see more than four, but I used eight 
to carry my provisions for twenty days. 

By Captain Davis : 

Q. What do you know about the time taken to build those whalers in 
San Francisco ! — A. It is all derived from hearsay and information from 

those people. The "Bowhead" took between sixty and seventy days 
from the day the work was commenced on her until she was launched, 






PROCEEDINGS. 51 

The "Belinda" and "Narwhal" were built under contract in sixty 
days and were launched on time. The " Orca " I do not know so much 
about. She is lour hundred and sixty tons, new measure. There had 
not been a blow struck on the three ships on the first of November, 1882, 
waiting for the " Bowhead " to return with her catch and report. She 
was successful, and in December a contract was made: these vessels 
were at sea in March to my knowledge, for I saw them all in the Arctic 
Ocean in August. 

By General Hazen : 
Q. How long would it take one of those ships to go around to New 
York ? — A. I could not say. 

By Captain Davis : 

Q. Where are those ships now, probably? — A. I was informed that 
the • • Bowhead " would lay up to receive tanks this winter. The others 
are probably in the South Seas off the coast of Australia. Before these 
vessels were constructed, these people sent experts to Dundee, Xew Bed- 
ford, and other ports; they came back and- reported, and these ships 
were built with all the improvements they could gather. 

Q. What do the sailors generally think of the vessels ? — A. There 
seems to be but one opinion, and that is they are the best they ever 
saw. They are men of thirty years' experience, New Bedford captains, 
and the best of them are leaving the Xew Bedford fleet and sailing in 
these San Francisco vessels, with a smaller "lay" than on the other 
ships. 

By General Hazen : 

Q. What kind of a ship was the " North Star " that was crushed ? 
— A. She was a New Bedford ship, sister ship to the " Bodgers." 

By Captain Davis : 

Q. You were aboard the " Bodgers "? — A. Yes, sir. 

Q. What decided differences were there in her construction from 
that of the modern whaler ? — A. They are the same, bark-rigged. The 
San Francisco steamers were heavier than the "Bodgers." They had 
an additional sheathing of iron and oak which the " Bodgers" had not, 
and the experts say that in every way they are stronger vessels. I 
know this year a vessel of the same construction as the " Bodgers," the 
" BeMdere," was up there and would not go into the ice where the San 
Francisco ships went and passed right along without any difficulty. 
The " Belvidere " remained out. 

Q. What was her steam power as compared to the others ? — A. It is 
lighter. I do not know what it is exactly. 

For foot-gear T have often thought if I was going again, instead of 
using the skin of the leg of the reindeer, which is very delicate and 
tender and will not hold thread well, that young calf- skins tanned with 
the hair on, in our fashion, would be better than anything else. They 
should be worn with the hair out. 

Q. You would have it of double thickness also? — A. No, sir; they 
never wear them of double thickness. 

By General Hazen : 

Q. Is the german stocking used there? — A. No, sir; I only saw the 
native clothing. 

By Captain Davis : 
Q. When the whalers have to winter in the ice are their crews afflicted 



52 PROCEEDINGS. 

with scurvy .' — A. No American whaling ship has wintered on the 
North American coast, so that that has not been decided. The 
furthest north a ship has ever wintered was in Saint Lawrence Bay. 
south of Behring Strait. 

By General Hazen: 

Q. What was the diet of your party, and what was its health during 
the two years you were there ? — A. I took from the United States a 
lull supply of bacon, canned corned beef, sugar, flour, coffee, and the 
necessary groceries for an ordinary diet, with dried apples, cranberries, 
a few peaches, and syrup, and there was sent me from the east about 
forty gallons of lime-juice. We had fresh meat at least three times a 
week, after the first four months, of either seal, walrus, bear, or rein- 
deer. 

Q. What was the size of your party? — A. The first party, from 1881 
to 1882, consisted of nine men besides myself; the second year there 
were eleven besides myself. 

Q. What was the health of the party ! — A. I never had a man on 
the sick report from the time I landed until I sailed. 

Q. What was the latitude ?— A. 71° 16 / north. 

Q. What was the average temperature in winter \ — A. The annual 
mean was plus seven ; the mean for the winter months I could not give 
accurately from memory, but I should say minus twenty. We had as 
low as minus fifty-eight by the corrected thermometer. 

Q. Did you use lime-juice at all ? — A. I issued it, but more as a lux- 
ury than anything else, because we never had any indication of scurvy, 
or any disease in fact. Besides the regular duty which the men per- 
formed, which was six hours out of the twenty-four, I required them 
to be one hour in the open air, which was compulsory during the whole 
time I was there, unless it was blowing so hard that a man could not 
stand up. We were seveuty-two days without sunlight. 

Q. How dark does it get? — A. At Christmas noon it was so dark 
that stars of the third and fourth magnitude were visible. 

By Captain Davis: 

Q. Your fuel was coal ! — A. Yes, sir. 

Q. What quantity per diem did you find it necessary to use to main- 
tain a fair degree of comfort in your shelter? — A. Two hundred and 
fifty pounds for two fires. 

Q. What temperature did you aim to keep up in your living rooms ? — 
A. Seventy degrees. Ice never formed in my sleeping-room or living- 
room, during the whole time I was there, that is, in the pitcher. 

Q. Was it aboard building? — A. A redwood building, sealed up; 
the studding was two by four, and the space at the bottom between 
the outside and the sheathing was tamped up with clay to make it air- 
tight so that there would not be any circulation of air in this space. 
The floor was ordinary inch and a quarter pine and was close to the 
ground, as close as I could lay it and get a level. The earth there is 
perpetually frozen. I used stoves for heating and cooking. I banked 
up the building with earth for about eighteen inches, and as soon as 
the snow was hard enough to cut I got a wall of snow built up around 
the house to the eaves, connected the building, by snow channels, 
with the astronomical observatories, and the snow drifted over until it 
was flush with the roof. 

Q. What illuminating material did you use? — A. Kerosene oil, 150 
fire test. 



PROCEEDINGS. 53 

Q. Did you use alcohol in your sledging journeys'? — A. No, sir; I 
think kerosene is preferable. I did not use a gallon on either one of 
ray trips, and the last time I was out eleven or twelve days. 

Q. Kerosene does not stiffen like lard oil, in those temperatures'? — 
A. No, sir; it was always liquid. 

By General Hazen : 

Q. Did you use pemmican at all ? — A. 1 used it in my journeys. 

Q. Where was it procured ? — A. It was procured by the Chief Signal 
Officer at New York and shipped to me. It was excellent, and the best 
food for travelling I ever saw. 

By Captain Davis : 

Q. Did the men like it? — A. Yes, sir; it made excellent soup, and 
could be used cold. Eight ounces is a good day's ration. I could not 
eat over that while I was hard at work. 

Q. Is there enough warmth in the summer to grow cresses or lettuce ? 
— A. The first summer I raised a few radishes and some lettuce, but the 
second summer there was a frost every day, the ice hung on the shore 
and we could not raise anything. In 1882 many flowers appeared, but 
I did not see so many in 1883. 

By General Hazen : 
Q. How deep does the soil thaw in the summer? — A. From eight 
inches to a foot. Black spots, where exposed to the sun, would thaw 
down to eighteen inches. 

By Captain Davis : 

Q. Did you have any experience in sledging over ice hummocks ? — A. 
No. I went with the natives out to a crack five or six miles only, and 
through an old ice pack. 

Q. Do the natives make long journeys across the ice! — A. No, sir; 
that is absolutely impossible. It took forty men thirty days to work a 
sled and boat out to a lead about a mile and a half away so that they 
could get through with their provisions, boat, and outfit. They were 
working day after day right along and putting in all their spare time. 

I would like to make this suggestion, that any one going up there, 
should engage some ot the voyageurs, who can be found around the Bed 
River of the North. These men are expert with dog teams, thoroughly 
accustomed to cold, and, travelling in all seasons of the year, very hardy, 
and patient under hardship ; I have had them under me and know 
what they are. 

By General Hazen : 

Q. Do you know anything of the facilities for getting dogs with 
those men in that section ? — A. There used to be some of the finest 
bred dogs at Pembina and Fort Garry before the railroad was built. 
At that time everything was carried by dogs, the mails and all. 

By Captain Davis : 

Q. Is there a reasonable probability that those dogs would stand the 
life above the Arctic Circle, and on the food that they would have ? — 
A. Yes, sir; I took with me a dog from the United States, a setter, 
and brought him back ; he was never sick a day ; he travelled through 
the interior with the team and lived on their food. I could not see but 
what he stood it just as well as the Esquimaux dog. I think you 
could get some dogs at Mackinaw if you needed them ; I have seen 
them there. 



54 PROCEEDINGS. 

Iii regard to those whalemen, they had a boat I never saw used 
anywhere else, that is a steam whale-boat. It is about thirty-two 
feet Ion*; - and has a " Berreshoff" engine and screw in the centre, 
working on a universal joint. It is made on the exact pattern of the 
ordinary whale-boat they use up there, and can be worked under steam 
or sail. In regard to sledging, every sledge should be rigged with a 
light lug-sail. That answers two purposes. When the snow begins 
to soften in the spring you can build up side walls of it and cover over 
with the sail ; when the wind is on or abaft the beam of the sledge, it 
counts for a good man}' dogs. 

Q. Did you see one of those " Herreshofl'" launches 'I — A. Yes, sir; I 
have been in one of them. 

Q. How was the screw, amidships? — A. Yes, sir; to lower or raise 
the same as you do the centre-board of a boat. When you haul it up 
you have a sailing vessel. You can run them up in the shallow water. 
With the screw they draw about four and a half feet. 

Q. What fuel did they use ?— A. Coal. 

Q. Do you know how much coal the boat you saw could carry, or for 
how many days steaming l — A. They loaned me one, and I was steam- 
ing three days with what coal was on board, and we had considerable 
left, then. 

Q. Did you make four or five knots ! — A. Part of the time we made 
seven knots with steam alone for a long distance. It is the fastest 
steam whale-boat that is made. 

Q. It would take a large crew to pull one of these boats out of the 
water, would it not 1 — A. That would depend upon your tackle. 

Q. How long do you say these boats are? — A. The ordinary whale- 
boat they use in the fleet is thirty feet, but these were two feet longer 
than the ordinary whale-boat. 

Upon the conclusion of Lieutenant Ray's testimony, General Hazen 
stated that in regard to the matter of dogs for the proposed relief 
expedition he desired to submit a letter received from Lieut. Thomas 
J. Clay, 10th U. S. Infantry, which was read. (Exhibit 0.) 

A letter from Lieut. Frederick Schwatka, 3d U. S. Cavalry, giving 
his ideas as to the organization and conduct of an expedition to be sent 
for the relief of Lieutenant Greely and party was then read. (Plxhibit D.) 

The Board, then adjourned to meet to-morrow morning at 11 o'clock. 



Boom 88, STavy Department Building, 

Washington, D. C, January 3, 1884. 

The Board met pursuant to adjournment; all the members present 
except General Hazen. 

Oapt. RlCHABD Pike, of Saint John's, Newfoundland, appeared, in 
response to the invitation of the Board, and was interrogated as follows : 

By Captain Davis : 

Question. The Board would thank you to give a brief statement 
of the experience yon have had in the Arctic regions, the dates 
of such service, how, and where, employed. — Answer. The first experi- 
ence I had in the Arctic regions was iu 1881, when I took Lieu- 
tenant Greely and party to Lady Franklin Bay. I left Saint John's 



PROCEEDINGS. ZZ 

on the 7th of July, and went from there to Godhavn, that is Disco 
Island. We arrived there on the 16th, and from there we went to 
Upernavik to get some dogs, and then proceeded on north. We pro- 
ceeded up as far as Cape Lieber, and I think it was on the 10th of 
August that we met the ice there. We did not meet any obstruction 
at all in going up Smith Sound. 

Q. You got to Lady Franklin Bay when! — A. We got to Cape 
Lieber on the 10th of August on our way up, and there we met a block 
right across 5 it was one solid block in Robeson Channel. When the 
break up came we were driven back to Franklin Island, and then we 
got a gale of wind from the western shore and sailed up the harbor. 
I think we arrived in Discovery Harbor about the 20th of August, and 
left it again on the 26th, and returned to Newfoundland without any 
difficulty. 

Q. Preceding this, what Arctic experience had you had? — A. 
Nothing in the Arctic Seas, but I have had years of sealing on the 
coast of Newfoundland and Labrador, and last summer I went up 
again in the " Proteus." 

Q. Have you given the subject of this relief expedition thought and 
consideration, and have you any project for the accomplishment of 
Lieutenant Greely's relief? — A. Well, I would advise two ships, for 
the reason that then you can run more risk, with one ship if you have 
something to fall back upon, in case there should be an accident. I 
believe it was possible this year for a sledge to go right on to Lady 
Franklin Bay on the ice. 

Q. You think Smith Sound was closed all the way up to Robeson 
Channel 1 — A. Yes; I think so. 

Q. You think there was no chance of getting a vessel up? — A. 
Late in the season there might have been. I believe later in the sea- 
son a vessel could have gone a good way up there. 

Q. W^hat kind of vessels should these two ships be that you propose 
to use ? — A. Steam whalers. 

Q. What time would you expect to reach Littleton Island ? — A. About 
the latter part of July is time enough. That would give some of 
the ice a chance to be coming down out of the sound. 

Q. You would work those two ships all the way up, conjointly? — A. 
Yes, sir; only be sure and keep one behind the other in safety. 

Q. Have you made much use of pemmican ? — A. No, sir ; I never used 
any. 

Q. Have you ever had scurvy in your ships' crews? — A. No, sir; 
I have never wintered north. 

Q. In regard to Arctic clothing, what kind do you recommend ? — A. 
Seal-skin for outside clothing is the best. 

Q. Is there any difficulty about its getting wet ? — A. It will get wet, 
but of course the sun will dry it again. 

Q. Please describe the garments? — A. A double jumper, with 
the hair inside and outside, with a hood to pull over the head and 
with a little cap inside of it. In regard to the feet, seal-skin boots are 
the best, with soles of seal-skin, coming up to about the knee. 

Q. Have you worn those in severe weather ? — A. Yes, sir ; we always 
use them in the seal fishery, but we have ours soled with leather, which 
is not as good 'for Arctic .travel as seal-skin. 

Q. Where do you get that clothing, in Saint John's?— A. No, sir; 
but then there is some brought over from Hudson Bay. 



5G PROCEEDINGS. 

Q. Have you seen reindeer-skin- clothing used? — A. I have seen 
very little of it. 

Q. Tu your sealing expeditious, do you have to sleep on the ice at 
times ? — A. No, sir: very seldom. There may be a few men get away 
from the ship who will be gone all night, but it is only when they can- 
not possibly find the ship. 

Q. Tu the equipment of vessels you would propose to send up there, 
what kind and number of boats would you use? — A. A whale-boat is 
the best, perhaps twenty-eight feet long. 

Q. How many men would it require to pull out one of those boats in 
a hurry? — A. You could not do it with less than six men, depending, 
of course, how high the ice is out of the water. 

Q. How high out of water was the ice, that you saw in Smith Sound 
last summer ? — A. Some two and some three feet. 

Q. Could you get out a boat on that with six men ? — A. O, yes, sir. 
The stem of the boat must be very rounding. We had to haul our 
boats up some few times, on the route coming south. 

Q. Have you doue any sledging ? — A. No, sir. 

Q. So that you know nothing about dogs and sledges, of your own 
knowledge i — A. No, sir. 

Q. Have you ever used a steam-launch in any of your sealing expe- 
ditions ? — A. No, sir. 

Q. You are aware that sledging expeditions in the autumn are diffi- 
cult, but you have no doubt there was a good chance of their getting 
up there last fall by sleds? — A. I think so. 

Q. Did you expect to take a boat along with the sledges, if you had 
gone up this fall J ? — A. I would have had nothing to do with the sledg- 
ing part of it. I think the sledges Lieuteuant Garlington had are very 
suitable. 

Q. When you went up in the " Proteus" in 1881, was there an ice- 
foot all along the land in Smith Sound i — A. Yes, sir. 

Q. Was the laud covered with snow, or bare? — A. Not much snow 
at all after we got up north ; not as much snow after we passed Little- 
ton Island as south of it. There was very little snow on the tops of the 
mountains. 

Q. What boats did you leave with Lieutenant Greely at Lady 
Franklin Bay, or what boats did he have with him when you left him ? — 
A. He had a steam-launch, a whale-boat, a boat that was left by 
Sir George Nares, and a dingy; he had three boats beside a launch. 

Q. Do you think a launch would be of great utility in a retreat ? — A. 
I do not think it would be of much use. They had no means to get the 
steam-launch on laud iu winter, and that would be the great trouble. 
If she was left in the water there is no doubt the ice would tear her all 
to pieces. Of course he would try to erect temporary ways to get her 
out, but he had not when I left. 

Q. Was there much ice in Discovery Harbor when you left ? — A. Yes, 
sir; it was full ; the winter ice was in there and had hardly come out 
at all. The new ice was beginning to make pretty thick through there 
on the 26th of August. 

(). When you got into Discovery Harbor was there any ice in Kobe- 
son Channel then? — A. Yes, sir; but when we came out, we had to 
cross over, to take the water on the east side, and it was all blocked 
with ice on the west as far as I could see, from Cairn Hill, with the 
telescope. On the eastern side w r as water, and the western side was 



PROCEEDINGS. 57 

full. The wind was northeast then. My experience is that the water 
keeps open on the east side more than on the west. 

Q. You didn't cross over to Thank God Harbor, Polaris Bay, to 
examine the provisions there? — A. We could have landed there easy 
enough, but we didn't try to. 

By Lieutenant-Commander McOalla: 

Q. Please draw a line of the general track of the " Proteus," up and 
down, in 1881. 

(The witness made a dotted line on the map, as requested.) 

Q. Did you have any conversation with Lieutenant Greely in 1881 
with reference to his possible retreat? — A. No, sir. 

Q. You have stated that you thought a sledge might have gone from 
the vicinity of Cape Sabine last summer to the vicinity of Lady Franklin 
Sound; of coarse, you could not judge of the condition of the ice, 
except for a short distance f — A. No, sir ; but I could see, I dare say, 
twenty or thirty miles away with a powerful telescope that we had. Of 
course, you would not be able to see the condition of the ice there. 

By Captain Greer : 

Q. What was the daily consumption of coal on the "Proteus"? — A. 
About twelve or thirteen tons. 

Q. What would she make in ordinary weather with that consump- 
tion? — A. About eight or eight and one-half knots. 

Q. How much coal did she carry? — A. We have had eight hundred 
tons in her, as a cargo, including bunkers and all ; we had about four 
hundred tons on that summer. The bunkers would hold one hundred 
and ten tons. 

By Captain Davis : 

Q. Was the consumption of coal on the u Proteus" about the same 
as on the Dundee whalers? — A. Yes, sir; on some of them. 

Q. Have you ever seen any of the more recent vessels built in Dun- 
dee for the whaling trade ? — A. There is one that was built two years 
ago tor the whaling trade, the "Resolute." She is the newest one; 
there are two of them, the "Resolute" and the "Thetis." 

Q. Do they differ in construction from the "Proteus"? — A. No, 
sir; only their engines are aft, and those on the "Proteus" were 
amidships. 

Q. Do you regard that as a better construction for a vessel in the 
ice ? — A. Well, I approve of it. 

Q. Are they full-powered vessels or auxiliary power? — A. Auxiliary 
power, about the same as the ' ' Proteus." They steam about nine knots. 

By Captain Greer : 

Q. Bark-rigged or barkentine ? — A. All the Dundee boats are bark- 
rigged. 

Q. Are the Saint John's sealers barkentines ? — A. No, sir; only two. 
The "Proteus" and the "Bear" were barkentines; all the rest are 

barks. 

By Captain Davis : 

Q. What time do these Saint John's vessels engage their crews for 
the sealing trade ? — A. All the time during the winter, but generally 
about Christmas time. 

Q. This list of vessels which you have given General Hazen comprises 
all those with which you are familiar? — A. Yes, sir; I know those 



58 PROCEEDINGS. 

very well. The " Vanguard" and the " Iceland" are nice vessels, and 
the "Greenland" is a nice vessel, but hard on her propellers. 

Q. Those vessels are eight to twelve years old, I see f — A. Yes, sir. 

Q. There are no sealers in the Saint John's trade that have been 
built within three or four years ? — A. No, sir. 

Q. About what is the length and beam of the "Vanguard" and 
"Iceland" t — A. The " Vanguard " has about thirty feet beam and is 
perhaps one hundred and seventy feet long. The "Iceland" would 
not have as much beam. One is a Dundee-built ship and the other 
was built in Aberdeen. 

Q. They are very much smaller vessels than the " Proteus "? — A. 
Yes, sir. 

Q. What is their consumption of coal ? — A. About ten tons, I think. 
The " Vanguard n would burn fully as much as the "Proteus," but 
she has more power; I think she has one hundred and twenty horse 
power. 

Q. Are these vessels all in Saint John's now? — A. Three are at Har- 
bor Grace, Newfoundland. 

Q. Are they owned there ? — A. Yes, sir. The " Bear " is a fine ship j 
she had a new steel boiler last year. She is exactly the same size as 
the "Proteus." 

Q. Has she a lifting screw? — A. Yes, sir; they all have lifting 
screws except the " Falcon." 

Q. What time do these vessels generally start out on their first seal- 
ing trip ?— A. On the 10th of March. 

By Captain Greer : 
Q. Can an abundance of ice tools be obtained at Saint John's? — A. 
Yes, sir. 

By Lieutenant-Commander McCalla : 

Q. Do you know what the nominal horse power of the " Thetis " and 
"Besolute " is? — A. I think about one hundred and ten or one hun- 
dred and fifteen horse power. 

By Captain Davis : 

Q. Do you remember the size of the " Thetis " and " Besolute "1 — 
A. I think they are about four hundred tons, or perhaps a little more. 

Q. What was the registered tonnage of the "Proteus"? — A. Four 
hundred and sixty-seven tons. 

Q. The " Bear" is just like the " Proteus" except that she has new 
boilers I — A. Yes, sir; exactly the same, built side by side, the same 
year. She is one ton larger than the "Proteus " I believe. 

After a short recess, the taking of testimony was resumed. 

Mr J. W. Norman, of Saint John's, Newfoundland, having been 
invited to appear before the Board, was examined as follows : 

By Captain Davis: 

Question. Please state what Arctic experience you have had. — 
Answer. I was mate of the " Proteus " with Captain Pike when we 
carried Lieutenant Greely up there in 1881, and I was mate of the 
" Neptune " and ice-master of her when we went up with Mr. Beebe 
in 1882. 

Q. What other service in northern waters have you seen? — A. I 
have been all my lifetime, sealing, with the exception of four years, and 
have been down at North Labrador in the summer amongst the ice 



PROCEEDINGS. 59 

chiefly, every year; I have never been up around by Davis Strait but 
twice. 

Q. Have you ever been in the whaling trade ? — A. Never. 

Q. Have you been in Smith Sound ? — A. I was through it once, and 
in it another time as high as 79° 20 / . 

Q. What are the chances of a vessel being able to get above Cape 
Sabine in any season 1 — A. I think she is safe to get above Cape Sabine 
in any season, from what I have seen. The. season of 1881 was a very 
open one, but the season of 1882 was a close one. 

Q. But not certain to make a port or harbor for wintering on that 
side ; not able to go to Cape Hawks ? — A. No, sir ; not to Cape 
Hawks; it was impossible in 1882, at any rate. 

Q. What time did you arrive at, and what time did you leave, Smith 
Sound in 1*882 ?— A. We arrived there on the 28th or 29th of July, and 
met the ice, and left on the 5th of September. . 

Q. Could you see open water beyond the ice during any part of the 
time you were waiting ? — A. Not north, not up towards Cape Hawks, 
but I think there is always water by the land as you pass Princess 
Marie Bay. I noticed there was water nearly all the time across that 
bay, and across in Buchauau Strait where the " Proteus " was crushed, 
and that water ebbs and flows with the tide. 

Q. When you were there in the " Neptune' 7 in 1882, do you think 
that boats could have made their way north? — A. No, sir; not keel 
boats, unless you could take them in pieces and pack them on sledges. 
Not whale-boats or ice boats, or anything like that. On the 10th of 
August — we had no sledges — it was suggested trying a boat, as we 
were within eleven miles of Cape Hawks, and it was quite practicable 
for us then to get to Lady Franklin Bay, if a party of men could have 
gone, not with a boat, but with sledges, and gone up on the ice-foot. 
From what I noticed of the ice-foot in Smith Sound, it is the easiest 
way of travelling, and with one of these portable boats, you could pack 
it on your sledges, and take it across these fissures that the land-slides 
make. 

Q. Have you ever seen such boats as you describe, capable of being 
taken on sledges and packed? — A. I have seen a boat that we have 
for carrying in the country for fishing purposes. 

Q. Have you had experience in sledging? — A. Not in the winter; I 
have in the summer when I have been down on North Labrador with 
the Esquimaux dogs. 

Q. In your trip on the " Proteus " to Lady Franklin Bay, did you hug 
the west shore and the head-lands ? — A. Not until we turned Cape Louis 
Napoleon. 

Q. Have you wintered in the Arctic regions ? — A. No, sir; never. 

Q. Then you have not been obliged to have an outfit such as Arctic 
explorers require, in the way of clothing? — A. No, sir; but! have been 
with the people of North Labrador and know their habits in the winter, 
for I was trading with them for twelve years. 

Q. What kind of boats do you find best adapted for working in the 
water among the ice? — A. Our common sealing boats are the ones 
we are used to. If you get them crushed they are easily repaired. 

Q. How are they, compared with the ordinary whale-boat ?— A. They 
are lighter than the whale-boat and rougher. The Dundee whalers that 
go whaling in the summer put ashore their whale-boats and take these 
sealing punts in preference, for sealing on the ice. They are more easily 
hauled up on the ice, and if they arc stove they arc more easily repaired. 



(>0 PROCEEDINGS. 

Q. How long are they? — A. About twenty-five feet. 

( c ). What crew does it require to manage one i — A. Four men. That 
crew can pull those boats on the floe easily, and haul them over and 
put them in the water. 

Q. And they stand that jumping on the rough ice without material 
injury ? — A. Yes, sir. 

Q. Are they made in Saint John's ? — A. They are built in Newfound- 
land. 

By Captain Greer : 

Q. These sealing punts are not good sea boats, are they ? — A. I think 
they are. I have seen them in pretty rough water. They are not as 
large as the whale-boats. 

By Captain Davis : 

Q. In case of emergency, how many persons, with fifteen days' sup- 
plies, could those boats transport through Smith Sound for example, 
taking the chances of the weather? — A. We will say ten men; that 
would be the outside of it in smooth water. I have known an instance 
of a ship's crew coming in over two hundred miles on these sealing 
boats; and frequently when they are one hundred miles away from land 
they have brought them in safe ; and that in the month of March or 
April, the stormy season. 

Q. A boat of that size would probably weigh a thousand pounds ? — 
A. No, sir; I should say she would not be as heavy as that. 

Q. Upon what do you base your opinion that a party would have 
been able to get up to Discovery Harbor in 1882 with sledges ? — 
A. From the fact that the year previous I had been there and I had 
taken particular notice of the ice-foot. We landed several times on 
Cape Leiber, and I tried to find Doctor Hayes' record, supposed to be 
left there, and two or three times a day I would go ashore to look out 
and see if there was any opening in the ice, and from Cape Lieber I 
often used to look at this ice-foot all the way up. When we landed 
at Cape Hawks it was the same thing. Last year we could see the 
ice-foot along shore when this water used to come in across the bay. 
It was different, I noticed, to the floating ice I had seen in 1882; 
that was very hummocky; but still it was possible with light sledges 
to go along the shore. I think it would be the hardest job to get 
ashore, but if we once got ashore, getting to Lady Franklin Bay would 
be comparatively easy on the ice foot. 

Q. Do you think the ice-foot would have been continuous ? — A. I 
think it is continuous except where the laud-slides are, and that would 
break the way for a half mile, or a mile, sometimes, and we would 
have to take to the water. 

Q. You would require a boat ? — A. Yes, sir ; some light, portable boat 
to cross these fissures or cracks, whether made by the cracking of the 
ice, or land-slides, or whatever it was. 

Q. At how many points did you land on the west shore of Smith 
Sound and Kennedy Channel, going up in 1881 i — A. At Carl Ritter 
Bay, several times at Cape Lieber, and between that and Cape Baird, 
which is the south point of Lady Franklin Bay. 

( c ). Did you visit the depot of provisions that Sir George Nares left 
near ( Jape Hawks \ — A. Yes, sir ; and took a boat from it, a keg of rum, 
and a few other things. 

Q. Did you examine the remainder of the supplies? — A. Yes, sir; 
there were some frozen down in the ice, and we cut the ice and hauled 



PROCEEDINGS. 61 

them further up ou a place clear of ice, on a rock, and secured them 
better. Lieutenant Greely was there; we did it under his orders. 

Q. Were they apparently in good condition? — A. Yes, sir; the 
bread was a little old, but everything else was in excellent condition. 

Q. At what would you estimate the quantity % — A. There were, I 
think, about nine puncheons, I cannot say positively, but I have a 
memorandum of what was there and how they were marked ; they were 
about one hundred and twenty or one hundred and thirty gallon casks. 

Q. Was the cooperage in fair condition? — A. Yes, sir; the rum was 
about one-third out, and we left another keg about half full. 

Q. Is that shelter behind Washington Irving Island a good one in 
winter ? — A. No, sir ; but in Dobbin Bay I think you could get in there. 

Q. There is a bold coast all the way up? — A. Yes, sir. 

Q. Was the whole boclv of Smith Sound open when you went up in 
1881? — A. Yes, sir; all open, just loose floes. We got within eight 
miles of our destination and there it was blocked solid across. 

Q. Was there any water in sight above Lady Franklin Sound ? — A. 
No, sir ; we could not get to Water-Course Bay. We got in shore, and we 
were from the 19th to the 26th of August before we could get out again. 
There was water all the time over in Hall Basin. The ice would drift 
down to Cape Morton and back again. You could see up past the 
month of Newman Bay, and I don't know but what you could see up 
past the mouth of Saint Patrick Bay. 

By Lieutenant-Commander McCalla : 

Q. How was that bread packed at Cape Hawks ? — A. In oak casks. 
It tasted old, but was quite eatable. Any man who was hungry could 
eat it. 

By Captain Davis : 

Q. Did you see any game on the west shore of Smith Sound? — A. 
Very little. We saw some musk oxen and one flock of ducks, and 
shot some seals there. When you enter Kennedy Channel you go be3*ond 
all life, but below that there are plenty of seals and game on the east 
side. 

Q. You saw no reindeer around Cape Hawks or Cape Louis Napo- 
leon ? — A. No, sir; none. At Cape Hawks we saw the print of the 
teeth of bears on the casks, but they had not opened any of them. 

Q. How large is that steam-launch that Lieutenant Greely has ? — 
A. It is about thirty-five feet long, I expect. 

Q. What sledges did he have? — A. He had four, if not more. We 
carried up forty-two dogs from Greenland and they had increased some, 
but when we left he had but eleven. The dogs had epileptic fits and 
we threw over as many as five in one day before we got there. 

Q. You have never seen any scurvy in your service ? — A. No sir; 
only what I have seen at sea. We had one case of scurvy in a year 
that we went down there, but it was not new on that voyage; the man 
had had it for years. I have seen scurv3 T in North Labrador amoug 
the people there. 

Q. Have you made use of lime-juice in trying to prevent scurvy ?— 
A. Yes, always at sea. 

Q. You have confidence in its effectiveness ? — A. I believe it is a 
preventive against scurvy. 

Q. Did you see any walrus in Smith Sound ? — A. Yes, sir. 

Q. Any in Kennedy Channel ? — A. No, sir. 

The Board then adjourned to meet to-morrow at 11 a. m. 



62 proceedings. 

Boom 88, Navy Department Building, 

Washington, D. (7., January 4, 1884. 

The Board met pursuant to adjournment; all the members present. 

Captain (liver stated that lie was informed Surgeon-General Wales, 
of the Navy, had ma do a special study of questions affecting the health 
and sanitation of men employed in Arctic service. 

The President of the Board was directed to request Surgeon -General 
Wales to embody in a paper, and submit for the information of the 
Board, the result of his observations on the subject mentioned. 

A letter from Cyrus Smith, dated December 28, 1883, was submitted 
by General Hazen and read. (Abs., Mis. Cor., No. 27.) 

Dr. Emile Bessels, of Washington, D. C, appeared, in response 
to the invitation of the Board, and was questioned as follows: 

By Captain Davis: 

Question. Will you please give the Board a brief sketch of your 
experience in the Arctic regions! — Answer. My experience in Smith 
Sound extends over about two years while I was Chief of the Scientific 
Department on board the U. S. Steamer " Polaris." 

Q. Previous to that, had you seeu any Arctic service ? — A. Pre- 
vious to that I spent a whole season between Spitsbergen and Nova 
Zembla, along the west coast of Spitsbergen, and the ice pack that 
extends from the coast of east Greenland to the eastward. 

Q. Did you see something of Arctic navigation in Lancaster Sound 
and Barrow Strait ? — A. Yes, sir; after the " Polaris " was lost I was 
taken onboard the "Ravenscrag" and transferred to the "Arctic," 
and we steamed up Lancaster Sound, entered Prince Regent Inlet and 
weut to the westward of that, entering the various bays, and after sur- 
veying a part of the coast to the south of Fury Beach and Cresweil Bay, 
we returned. But at that time there was very little ice in the sound, 
and we found we might easily have gone a greater distance to the north- 
ward. The ice to be met with in Lancaster Sound is entirely different 
from that of the Smith Sound ice, and that again is different from 
that to the eastward of Greenland, and that between Spitzbergen and 
Nova Zembla. 

Q. Prom your experience in the Arctic regions and your study of 
meteorological conditions, what do you regard as the probable chance 
of reaching Lady Franklin Bay in a steam vessel ? — A. It is always a 
risky thing to send a vessel up Smith Sound, because it is narrower 
than any other sound we know of in the Arctic region of a similar 
extent. The ice being heavy, the probability is that a vessel will not 
be able to get through ; but she may. If she does, it is a mere chance. 

Q. It is understood that you have lately prepared a paper on the 
subject of the navigation of Smith Sound, and that it has been read 
before the Naval Institute. Does that paper embody your general 
ideas upon the subject of the navigation of that water f — A. It does. 
I have meanwhile read of a plan proposed hy Mr. Tyson to send a 
vessel up there, and I have proposed something similar and written to 
an English naval officer who has seen a great deal of Arctic service, 
Major Fielden, and I have a letter here from him on the subject. He 
was one of the officers of the Nares expedition. He says in this letter 
to me : " The escape of a steamer from Payer Harbor, in 1885, is almost 
a certainty." Payer Harbor is easily accessible, but a vessel might 
meet with a great deal of difficulty^ in steaming north. In the first 
place, she would have to watch her chance and follow the lead, and 



PROCEEDINGS. 63 

besides, the sound would have to be navigated during a period of time 
when westerly winds — which actually open the water — would not blow ; 
that is, you would not reasonably expect winds to blow. The prevail- 
ing direction of the wind is northeast, and in some instances, but very 
seldom, southwest, and during the time the vessel might find a chance 
to go north, it would either be calm or you might have slight head- 
winds. The probability of two or three whale-boats creeping along the 
coast, is far greater than that a vessel might pass; the chances are 
much better than would be the case with a large ship. While the 
" Polaris" was drifting down the sound, we saw a great extent of open 
water following the coast of Grinnell Land. You always find some 
open water between the ice-foot and the moving pack. 

Q. Then, if I understand you correctly, you regard the general plan 
proposed by Captain Tyson a feasible one? — A. Yes, sir; I have the 
same idea he has, and I wrote it out for the first time a fortnight ago, 
but was ignorant at the time of his having proposed the same method. 

Q. He, I think, would object to taking the ship into the sound? — A. 
He proposed to take the ship to Payer Harbor and send out two whale- 
boats; unless there is a lot of open water, you might fail. 

Q. Your idea is not to go up with the ship unless the navigation is 
easy? — A. Yes, sir. 

Q. Have you no doubt of the ability of a boat's crew to navigate 
Smith Sound under the conditions you state, pulling the boats out of 
the water on the ice, and so making their way north to Discovery Bay 
and return? — A. I have no doubt about it. It might not be a bad plan 
to take one of those boats in tow, the oomiaks. They could easily be 
procured in Greenland, and the Greenlanders carry them overland 
sometimes to go to the interior of the fiords ; if a letter be written in 
time to the Governor at Disco, one or two oomiaks might be prepared 
to be taken on board the vessel that makes her way north. 

Q. Will you please give us a general description of these boats ? — 
A. It has a wooden frame, and is about twenty-five or thirty feet 
long, five feet beam, flat bottom; capacity, three tons; covered with 
walrus hide, or with the hide of the bearded seal. The only difficulty 
you might have to encounter in using the oomiaJc is, that after they 
have been in the water three or four days in succession, the water 
will penetrate, and they have to be greased, especially the seams ; but 
as far as portability is concerned, they cannot be surpassed. When 
Graah made his exploration on the east coast of Greenland it was 
entirely in oomiaks rowed, by Esquimaux women, with paddles. 

Q. What is their capacity of flotation ; how many persons could they 
carry with fifteen days' supplies ? — A. Fifteen persons easily, where a 
whale-boat can carry but eight. 

Q. Do they go out in rough weather ? — A. They would not meet any 
rough weather, because they would keep amongst the ice and there is 
scarcely any swell, and in case of heavy winds they can easily be pulled 
out. The vessel about to be dispatched should not be over five hundred 
tons in size. 

Q. A vessel after the type of the Saint John's sealers or the whaling 
ships ? — A. I would get a good sailing vessel with an auxiliary engine ; 
she should be provisioned for at least two winters. 

Q. What experience did you have in sledging ? — A. Sledging in 
Smith Sound under ordinary circumstances is extremely discouraging, 
inasmuch as the sound scarcely ever freezes over entirely, for the ice 
is on the move and the current being swift, at least the tidal current, 
with high winds in winter, the ice is very hummocky, so that you 



64 PROCEEDINGS. 

cannot expect to sledge under favorable circumstances more than fifteen 
miles a day; I would call fifteen miles a very good average. You 
might, however, make seventy or eighty miles a day if you got to places 
that were frozen over smooth, but it never lasts long. 

Q. Is there practically any ice-foot along Grinnell Land l — A. It is 
extremely uncertain and unsafe, and you do not find it everywhere, while 
in some places you find the ice piled up to a height of thirty or thirty- 
five feet, in others it is entirely missing. You cannot rely on it. 

Q. In moving north, then, from the position the vessel might gain, 
would you, or would you not, expect to use sledges in connection with 
your boats for a movement towards Discovery Harbor ? — A. It would 
certainly be wise to have sledges on board, that is, have the sledge 
runners lashed on to the outside of the boat, and have the cross pieces 
extra. The sledges could be put together in case they are needed, and 
a marl in spike and spun yarn is sufficient to secure them. 

Q. Did you do any si edging from the "Polaris" with dogs? — A. Yes, 
sir. We made several sledge journeys on the ice ; one following the coast 
to Petermann Fiord, which was explored, and where the only smooth 
ice which was found on that trip was situated; between Thank God 
Harbor and Cape Tyson, and on Hall Basin, and along the shore. The 
ice was broken up along the mouth of Petermann Fiord, and was 
extremely hummocky to the south of Cape Lucie Marie and Cape Morton ; 
at the latter place it could scarcely be travelled over. We tried to get 
to Cape Constitution, but after having rounded Cape Bryan we had to 
abandon our sledge and go on foot, partly climbing over the cliffs, the 
same way Morton had done in reaching Cape Constitution from the 
south . 

Q. What season of the year was that? — A. April. We finally struck 
the water. It would not have been possible to have carried a boat, as 
the pack in the channel was moving up and down with the tide. The 
ice to the north along Polaris Promontory was so hummocky that it 
was never possible to double what we call the Third Cape. 

Q. You presume that the ice conditions on the Grinnell Land side 
would be the same, ordinarily, and that sledging would be extremely 
difficult? — A. Yes, sir. There is a strong "set" sometimes into Lady 
Franklin Bay. We were never able to approach Hall Basin when we 
went out of Polaris Bay, but from the top of the mountains in the 
vicinity we could see large ice-fields moving into Lady Franklin Bay 
without ever coming out, and we supposed from that that it was an 
open strait, until Archer explored it and found it was a long fiord 
which can readily harbor extensive ice-fields. In a letter written by 
Captain Nares to the London Times, he states that in sledging out, 
passing Cape Baird, Lieutenant Greely would experience great diffi- 
culty. 

Q. Do you remember what the pro visions left at Polaris Bay or 
Thank God Harbor consisted off — A. Of bread, canned meats, lime- 
juice, molasses, pemmican, and canned or dessicated potatoes. 

Q. Expressed in rations, about how many should you suppose there 
were there ? — A. We should have to find out first how much was used by 
the English. There was a list of provisions left at the observatory at 
Polaris Bay sent to the British Admiralty, and a letter to the Secretary 
of State states what the English have taken. It is not given in 
Nares' report or Beaumont's journal, I think. 

Q. But you have not the data in regard to the quantity remaining 
there 'I — A. No, sir; I have not. 

Q. You think the Admiralty communicated with our State Depart- 



PROCEEDINGS. 65 

merit, and that the information is. in the Department of State? — A. 
Yes, sir; you will find it there. But I would not rely too much upon 
those provisions which were left, for they might not be able to take 
them up in winter. 

Q. What kind of Arctic clothing were the people ou the " Polaris *' 
supplied with! — A. They actually did not have anything except what 
we picked up on our way up the coast of Greenland. They succeeded 
in obtaining sixty or eighty dog-skins, and picked up a few ready-made 
garments and two sleeping-bags; that was all we had. Captain 
Hall had relied on getting plenty of deer-skins, but deer had been 
very scarce for a number of years and there were none to be obtained. 

Q. Did you have enough of such clothing to enable you to form an 
opinion as to the comparative utility and serviceability of seal-skin cloth- 
ing and reindeer clothing ! — A. I would give the preference to reindeer 
clothing, by all means, and to reindeer calf, if that can be obtained, 
because it is lighter and warmer than any other skin you can obtain, 
and besides it does not get stilt' after it has been wet. 

Q. About what is the weight of a complete suit of deer skin cloth- 
ing ! — A. It would not weigh over ten pounds complete, boots and 
everything. 

Q. Ordinarily, is deer-skin clothing obtainable in Greenland, with 
a little previous notice I — A. I would write to the Hudson's Bay Com-'' 
pany in London, and get all the skins from there, because they have 
a large ware-house, and you will be certain to obtain them. Or you 
might write to Montreal, to the Hudson's Bay Compauy\s agent there. 
That would be the only certain way to get it, because you cannotrely 
on getting the skins in Greenland. I think they can be obtained and 
made up here, if necessary. 

• By General Hazex : 

Q. What garments do you recommend f — A. A juniper with a hood 
and short pantaloons, and deer-skin sleeping bag. covered with sail- 
cloth on the outside, so that the skin part can be removed and pulled 
out, because if deer-skin gets wet from day to day the hair is apt to 
come out. and it begins to rot. Then I would advise you to have sleep- 
ing-bags made in a different manner from those which have been made 
up to the present time, because they are always difficult to creep into. 
You should have a slit made coming down to the lower third, with a 
flap over it that can be buttoned, and then the difficulty of cleaning it 
from ice will not be great, and besides it is much easier to get into and 
out of the bag. 

By Captain Davis : 

Q. Have you ever seen them made in that manner, or used them ? — 
A. I made one myself, and found it superior to anything I have seen 
before or since. 

Q. It is not difficult to keep the slit closed and to exclude the cold ! — 
A. Xo. sir. 

By General Hazen : • 

Q. How much did you use the one you made?— A great deal; for a 
whole season. 

By Captain Davis : 
Q. Did you have scurvy on the ''Polaris" I — A. We had one slight 
attack of scurvy, and, strange to say, the steward was the one to 
be taken down first, That was early in the spring, but it didn't 



66 PROCEEDINGS. 

amount to anything. He was taken to the observatory, where it was 
dry, and in about ten days he got entirely over it. He did not show 
any swelling of the lower limbs. After the return of our party from 
Newman Bay we had three eases, Chester, Myer, and I had an attack 
of it. 

Q. To what did yon attribute this outbreak of scurvy? — A. Merely 
to the dampness of our camp. We were unable to keep it dry, and we 
stayed there over four weeks. 

Q. You do not think it was caused in any way by your diet? — A. 
No, sir. On board the vessel the steward had everything, and still he 
was the first one to be attacked. 

Q. How do you explain the breaking out of scurvy in Nares' 
and other expeditions ? — A. I certainly would not attribute it to the 
want of lime-juice, because it occurs just as often where lime-juice is 
used, as where it is not. But if any one should wish to carry lime- 
juice or any anti-scorbutic on a sledge journey, it would be decidedly 
best to take citric acid which is crystallized, portable, and which can 
be used to make lemonade as well, and a pound of citric acid will go a 
long way. 

Q. How frequent were your issues of fresh meat on the "Polaris " I 
— A. They were quite irregular. We only killed one musk ox when 
•we reached Polaris Bay, which was towards the middle of October, 
and we had only a few seals, not over five, during the whole winter. 
But early in the Spring we secured twenty-one additional musk oxen 
and then we had fresh meat almost every other day until the bird 
season began and then we had it more frequently. 

By General Hazen : 

Q. When does the bird season begin? — A. Not before the middle of 
June. You will find probably some eider ducks, and some brent geese 
and a few other aquatic birds. 

By Captain Davis : 

Q. Did the scurvy make its appearance during the interval when 
you were without fresh meat, or when you had a supply? — A. It was 
when we had a good supply of fresh meat. We attributed it to the 
dampness of our camp. 

Q. I notice that Sir George Nares makes frequent mention of the 
use of gunpowder to make way for his vessel. Do you think an explo- 
sive of some kind would be of utility in shattering ice barriers? — A. It 
would not be of great utility for navigation particularly, because if the 
Sound is blocked all the gunpowder in existence would not clear it. 

By General Hazen : 

Q. Would it be of use in easing the ship? — A. It might be very use- 
ful in making a dock for the vessel or in blasting ice fields of smaller 
extent. I would give preference to gun-cotton or dynamite. 

By Captain Davis : 
Q. Smith Sound between Port Foulke and Cape Sabine may be said 
to be open and closed, alternately, during all the winter? — A. Yes, 
sir ; when Hayes wintered at Port Foulke he had open water during the 
greater part of the time, and the temperature was so high that it rained, 
T think, about Christmas eve. There is a very swift tidal current run- 
ning along the coast there. When Inglefield followed the coast he 
talked about a permanent current, and set it down at a velocity of five 
knots an hour, 



PROCEEDINGS. 67 

Q. Supposing Lieutenant Greely to come south next spring, say in 
July, or even in April, with sledges; what do you regard as his chance 
of getting across Smith Sound, without boats? — A. His chance would 
be slim. He might make it across, but if he carries boats on his sledges 
it will impede his progress to a great extent, and if he does not carry 
any and finds the Sound open he will not be able to cross. 

Q. Would he find it easier crossing Smith Sound, or what is com 
monly called Kane Basin higher up, and making Eensselaer or one of 
those harbors ? — A. No: it would be much more difficult, because it is 
wider. When Hayes was first sent out by Kane to cross and make the 
coast of Grinnell Land his orders were to hold to the westward. He 
made the attempt and failed and returned, and then, contrary to his 
orders, he made a northwardly line and reached the coast. Lieutenant 
Greely might do likewise. He would have to be guided entirely by 
circumstances. 

Q. Do you know if there is game around Hayes Sound ? — A. The 
Esquimaux informed us that Hayes Sound opened to the westward, and 
that musk oxen were there, that is, around Princess Alexandra 
Harbor, but I have never visited the spot. 

By Lieutenant- Commander McOalla : 

Q. At what points did you land on the east side of Grinnell Land 
between Cape Sabine and Cape Baird ? — A. Only at one point near 
Cape Frazer, between five and six in the morning. I was not on 
shore myself. 

Q. Then you do not know, from your personal observation, the con- 
dition of the laud at the water's edge, or the ice-foot on the east 
side of Grinnell Land between those points? — A. I have seen the ice- 
foot in crossing the Sound and it was extremely rough. 

Q. At what distance did you see it ? — A. At a distance of about six 
miles, from an elevation of about sixty feet, so that I got a; good view 
of it. 

Q. In reference to a projected boat expedition up the east coast of 
Grinnell Land, which I understood you to say 3011 favored, would you 
expect the party to advance over the ice-foot, or on shore? — A. I would 
not propose taking to the ice-foot in boats unless I was compelled to, 
or if I could not find a piece of ice of sufficient size to secure the 
boats. 

Q. Then, in your calculations, you would not expect to laud or go on 
the ice-foot in your boats? — A. I would not land unless I was com- 
pelled to go to one of the depots of provisions. 

Q. But you would expect to advance entirely by water or over float- 
ing ice? — Yes, sir; entirely. 

Q. How did you obtain water for drinking on the " Polaris"? — A. 
The water was obtained by melting berg ice. 

Q. You did not use a distiller at all? — A. No, sir; there is no neces- 
sity for it. The best way is to have a barrel in your galley, fill it with 
ice, and pour boiling water on it whenever you can get it. 

By Captain Davis : 

Q. Did you find any trace of saline matter in water thus obtained? — 
A. No, sir; not in berg ice. At the time the boat party would probably 
go north they would find plenty of water running from the bergs and 
old hummocks; you would not meet with many bergs. The "Polaris" 
did not meet a single iceberg north of Polaris Bay. 

Q. At what date ought a vessel to reach Payer Harbor?— A. She 



68 PROCEEDINGS. 

should not attempt to cross the bay before the mean date of opening, 
which is the middle of June ; she would run unnecessary risks and would 
not find Smith Sound open at an earlier date. I think Melville Bay 
(►pens about the middle of June. However, it would depend entirely 
on her transit how long it would take her to get to the bay. 

Q. She should be there by the 1st of July, then? — A. O, yes, sir. 
Captain Nares, in a private letter, says he thinks it would be better not 
to attempt to go north before the latter part of August or the beginning 
of September, and I think Major Feilden states something similar. His 
letter is at your service if you desire it. (Exhibit E.) 

Q. There ought to be no considerable difficulty in Lieutenant Greely 
getting across to Polaris Bay and availing himself of filestores and any 
game he might fiud there I — A. We made several attempts to cross 
from Polaris to Lady Franklin Bay. In the first place we wanted 
to find the cairn which Hayes claims to have left, and we wanted to 
follow that coast and sledge along it. But the ice was always moving, 
and the lanes of water between the hummocks were so small and nar- 
row that they were not navigable, and they were too wide to be crossed 
by sledges. It was entirely impracticable to cross; and something 
similar may have happened to Lieutenant Greely. On our return jour- 
ney south we made an attempt to cross it somewhere near Hans Island 
and we failed. We made several attempts besides that. 

Q. Beaumont, early in the season, seems to have gotten across with- 
out much difficulty ? — A. Yes, he got across ; but returning in August, 
with a boat, he found it very difficult. 

Q. Would Lieutenant Greely be likely to make effective use of the 
steam-launch ? — A. Yes, if he would take a boat in tow with coal. I 
do not see how else he could make use of her. He could not carry 
coal enough otherwise. It would offer advantages and drawbacks too. 

By General Hazen : 
Q. If he should have open water why could he not tow the other 
boats ? — A. But if the ice closes suddenly you might find yourself in 
difficulty before you are fairly aware of it. Sir George Nares men- 
tioned in his first report to the Admiralty that he found a number of 
skin-boats on Littleton Island and that he carried one of them to Cape 
Sabine. Probably those skin-boats are really oomiaJcs, and if Lieuten- 
ant Greely knows about their having been deposited there it might be 
of great use to him. 

Lieut. J. C. Colwell, U. S. Navy, appeared, in response to the 
invitation of the Board, and was examined as follows : 

B} Captain Davis : 

Question. Lieutenant Garlington submitted to the Board a paper 
which gives an outline of a plan, which he mentions as having been 
made in conjunction with yourself, for an Arctic expedition. I pre- 
sume that embodies your views in regard to the general plan for a 
relief expedition ? — Answer. Yes, sir. 

Q. And in case your relief vessel should be unable to make her way 
to Discovery Harbor, you propose to make use of boats and sledges in 
the attempt to reach that point? — A. Yes, sir; to use boats at 
once when we get to the edge of the ice on the 1st of July; to start 
one light boat at once, and a week or two later, if the ice shows no 
signs of making out, to take the vessel into the Sound and start two 
boats. 



PROCEEDINGS. G9 

Q. You mean boats of a construction which would be easy to launch 
and pull out of water? — A. Boats that their crews could haul upon 
the ice in the case of its closing in. 

Q. Taking the ordinary New Bedford whale-boat, what is the least 
number of men, from your experience, that could pull her out of water 
and get her on an ice-floe floating eight inches high ? — A. The New 
Bedford whale-boat is too heavy. Boats ought to be built lighter, 
but, after the style of the New Bedford whale-boats, palling five oars, 
and they should be built to be hauled out with their load by a crew of 
six men. 

Q. 1 think yon left some provisions at Cape Sabine. At what alti- 
tude above high water were those provisions placed, as you remem- 
ber ? — A. About ten or fifteen feet, and behind a corner of rocks which 
would protect them from the ice banking up. 

Q. You feel that they are perfectly secure from any danger from 
ice I — A. Yes, the only trouble would be from water running down the 
side of the cliff aud getting under them, or a snow-slide might cover 
them up. When we left there was no snow nor any water coming into 
this hollow where 1 placed them. 

Q. Were ihey in a position where they might be destroyed by a slide 
of snow from above, or pushed out on the ice ? — A. The cliff was almost 
perpendicular where I placed them, in a little crevice, and the chances 
are that a slide of snow would not come down in that crevice, but 
would go over it or pass around to one side. They are about thirty feet 
distant from the edge of the water. 

Q. What is the rise and fall of the tide there ? — A. About eight feet. 
When I refer to high-water mark I, of course, refer to high tide. 

Q. Did you land on the west side or on any other point on G-rinnell 
Land ? — A. Only at Cape Sabine and Payer Harbor. 

Q. Did Payer Harbor appear to be well protected, in which a vessel 
could lie with safet}' ? — A. She could lie there, but there would be a 
great deal of ice fouling her. It is a clear channel and ice is contin- 
ually driven in there, but nothing to hurt her. 

Q. How strong a current is there through this channel ? — A. About 
two knots on the ebb tide and probably about half a knot on the flood. 

Q. Did you find Arctic clothing necessary on your retreat? — A. No, 
sir. 

Q. You made several landings on the Greenland coast coming down 
to Cape York, I believe! — A. Yes, sir. 

Q. And saw evidences of game in considerable abundance at various 
points, especially up by Port Foulke? — A. About Pandora Harbor con- 
siderable game was seen, many birds, and some reindeer and hare ; and 
about Cape Athol were seen some musk oxen. Some of the men fol- 
lowed a herd back of Cape Athol. But we saw reindeer horns at sev- 
eral points where we landed. 

By Lieutenant-Commander McCalla : 

Q. You covered those provisions west of Cape Sabine with rocks and 
stones? — A. With two tent flies, and weighted the whole thing down 
with stones. 

By Captain Davis : 

Q. Have you anything in addition to say in connection with the 
project for the relief of Lieutenant Greely except what is contained in 
this paper; anything bearing on the question which you think impor- 
tant? — A. 1 do not remember exactly what is in the paper, so that 1 



70 PROCEEDINGS. 

may repeat what is stated there; bat I think it necessary that 
the expedition should go up as soon as possible. If Lieutenant 
( J 1 eel y is going to need relief, he is going- to need it next spring. If 
he conies down in the spring from his place up the Sound to Littleton 
Island he will find no supplies there, and he will need them as soon 
as a vessel can get there. I think a vessel should go up as soon 
as possible and communicate with Littleton Island from Oape York ; 
if a vessel is not up at Cape York soon you will find a Scotch whaler 
getting to Littleton Island first and bringing the men down. They 
know now that these people are there, and it is only a day's run 
out of their track when they are bound for the whaling regions: it 
would pay them to make that day's run to see if those people are there, 
and if so to bring them back, as a business speculation. 

Q. You say the relief ships should communicate with them from 
Cape York as early as possible; do you mean by land l — A. By land 
or ice. At that season of the year, I think by sledges. 

Q. If you can get with a vessel to Cape York are you not reasonably 
sure to get higher? — A- The whalers-are sometimes blocked in off Cape 
York three or four days in the ice, and during those times the natives 
communicate with them off shore. 

Q. How many days' travel by sledges is Cape York from Littleton 
Island l — A. Five days. 

Q. AYhat date should you say that your vessel ought to be struggling 
to get to Cape York l — A. She should be at Upernavik before the 30th 
of May. The whalers usually pass Upernavik before that time. They 
are usually at Disco in May. They leave Dundee the last of April. 

Q. What is the earliest date that you have heard of a whaler, or any 
vessel, getting to Cape York ? — A. I cannot remember the earliest. 
The best account of a whaling voyage I have read was written by 
Captain Markham; he got off and above Cape York on the 9th of 
June, and does not speak of it as an unusual passage. Before the use of 
steam as a motive power sailing vessels averaged it by the first week 
in July. If those whalers do not make it by the first of July they give 
it up and try the "middle water". 

I have heard since I have been here this morning, some discussion 
about Arctic clothing, and I may offer a few suggestions on that point. 
The principal work of this expedition will be during the summer. 
During the past summer we saw no weather colder than the ordinary 
winter weather we have in the Middle States. The best clothing to be 
worn would be a good quality of woolen throughout, and a suit of 
Cape Ann oil-skins over the whole, for rainy or snowy weather. 
For the feet, I would recommend the best quality of water-proof leather 
boots, those known as loggers' or lumbermen's boots, are the best of 
that sort. They are water-proof, not particularly heavy, and are 
easy on the feet. 

Q. Your programme takes into account the possibility of being 
detained there during the winter? — A. For that reason there should be 
a supply of the very heaviest winter clothing. But in conversation 
with the captain of the " Sofia," which carried Professor Nordenskj old's 
expedition, (a man who had spent nearly all his life in the Arctic 
regions) he showed me his clothing, which was only woolen clothing, 
and over it he wore a suit of white duck, the jumper having a 
hood attached to it, and over that, in the coldest weather, he 
wore a woolen cap, such as is worn by the Russian troops in northern 
Siberia, with long strings of the same material as the raps, which, 



PROCEEDINGS. 71 

wrapped around the neck, made a muffler; lie told me that in the 
coldest weather he wore a silk handkerchief tied around his face over 
the nostrils and mouth. 

Q. Was he with Nordenskjold in his trip north of Siberia in the 
"Vega"? — A. He was not on that trip. He commanded the vessel 
that went around the coast of Asia to relieve Nordenskjold, and was 
wrecked. He spent two winters on the north coast of Asia, was 
wrecked once, and made a journey of 1,500 miles during mid-winter in 
Siberia. 

Q. Do you remember his name? — A. I have forgotten, but he told 
me he never used the skin clothing, and found this rig answered the 
purpose in every way. 

Q. What did he wear on his feet? — A. I do not remember. He did 
not wear moccasins, and he said those would never do for that sort of 
work. 

Q. You, or some of your party, wore seal-skin on your retreat? — A. 
Some of the men did, but it was only because they had not a sufficient 
supply of good clothing; suits of Cape Ann oil-skin would have been 
better for them. Seal-skin wets easily, and when dry and stiff breaks, 
and lasts but a very short time. 

Q. And when saturated it is very spongy? — A. Yes, sir; and very 
uncomfortable. 

Q. Did your vessel coal at Kudlisit Mines? — A. No, sir; but the 
"Yantic" did. 

Mr. George Kennan, of Washington, D. C, appeared, in response 
to the invitation of the Board, and was examined as follows : 

By Captain Davis : 

Question. Will you please give a brief statement of your experience 
in northern regions ? — Answer. My entire experience in the north is 
comprised in a three years' stay in northeastern Siberia. 

Q. You have made many sledge journeys and other trips of that 
characters — A. I travelled in the aggregate, I think, about 4,000 
miles on sledges in northeastern Siberia, counting only the journeys 
that were made as explorations. I afterwards came home across Sibe- 
ria to Saint Petersburg, but that journey was mostly made with horses, 
and on roads. The 4,000 miles of which I speak were made through 
an untravelled and comparatively unknown country. 

Q. Were any of your journeys across hummocky ice, or ice-floes? — 
A. Very rarely, only at intervals along the coast where we crossed 
arms of the sea or where we were compelled, in order to avoid moun- 
tains, to go out on the sea. 

Q. Do the natives of that region have occasion to make long jour- 
neys along the coast on the ice-foot or on ice-floes? — A. No, sir. 
They cross arms of the sea as I did, and are compelled sometimes to 
go out on the ice, but they never make any long journeys over open 
sea-ice. 

Q. Describe briefly the outfit of a dog team as you used it there, the 
most efficient kind. — A. A dog team in Siberia consists of from seven to 
thirteen dogs harnessed two abreast, with a leader. The lead dog is 
especially trained to obey the voice. They are driven without a whip, and 
are harnessed in couples to a long trace running down between the two 
lines of dogs, with the leader ahead. The advantage of this system of 
harnessing is that it enables the driver to keep the team under control 
better than where every dog has a separate trace — particularly in going 



72 PROCEEDINGS. 

over hummocky ice or through timber. It' dogs are harnessed iii the 
Esquimaux fashion half of them are apt to run on one side of a tree, 
ice-cake, or other obstacle, and half on tin 4 other, thus bringing the 
sledge to a stop. If, however, they are harnessed in the Siberian man- 
ner they are unable to separate or jump over one anothers traces, and 
as they all follow the lead dog the driver can guide them through a 
dense forest as well as if he controlled them by means of reins. 

Q. How about sleds .' — A. I do not know that I could describe Sibe- 
rian sledges to you without a model. Perhaps the most noticeable 
thing about them is the width of the runner. The Siberian sledge 
runner is much wider than that generally used by Arctic expeditions; 
I should say from four to six inches. 

Q. Rigid, solid timber, or bending :' — A. It is bending. It is not 
a solid pi auk set up on edge; it is a skeleton runner, consisting 
of a broad shoe made of a strip of birch bent up at the end and con- 
nected with the body or platform of the sledge by uprights. The 
sledge is lashed together, has no metallic fastenings, there is not a 
joint in it that will not give, and it is almost indestructible. I have 
seen sledges loaded with three hundred or four hundred pounds fall a 
considerable distance down a very steep slope and overturn on the ice 
without breaking. In the spring the natives shoe their sledge runners 
with whalebone, and in the winter, when the weather is very cold, every 
native carries about his neck a bottle filled with water, with which he 
ices the sledge runners at intervals of an hour or two. That adds very 
greatly to the smoothness of the runner and makes it slip more easily 
over the snow. Another feature of the Siberian sledge, which seems 
to me valuable, and which has never been adopted by Arctic expedi- 
tions, is the bow or arch which spans the sledge transversely amid- 
ships. It is made of a bent piece of wood, perhaps two and a half 
inches in diameter, with its ends lashed to the sides of the sledge a 
little forward of the middle. This arch, which stands upright, is used 
as a handle by which the sledge is managed. The Esquimaux sledge 
has what they call an "upstander " at the back end, but I do not think 
it is as convenient as this Siberian bow which enables the man to pull 
his sledge one side or the other, or lift it in any direction. 

Q. The width and the length of the sledge is about what l — A. It is 
about twelve feet in length and in width two to two and a half feet. 

Q. Capable of carrying a load of how many pounds : ; — A. The larger 
of these sledges would carry a load of eight hundred pounds. I think 
it would even be possible to put a thousand pounds on the largest 
sledges made there. But that would not be practicable or prudent if 
the journey was over a rough, broken country. 

Q. What kind of clothing did you use during your winter 
experience? — A. The Siberian fur dress, which I think is the best in 
the world, is made entirely of reindeer-skin. The feet and legs are 
covered with reindeer-skin stockings, coming to the knee or thigh, as 
the case may be (depending upon whether they are worn with panta- 
loons or not), and boots made of the skin from the fore-leg of the rein- 
deer. The stockings are worn, as a rule, with the hairy side in, and the 
bottom of the boot is tilled with dried straw or grass to absorb, to some 
extent, the moisture of the foot. If the boots are short, pantaloons are 
generally worn; if long, they are not — that is, not heavy ones. The 
most important part of the costume is a sort of jumper which is put on 
over the head, and is made long enough to fall to about the calf of the 
leg. It is very large and loose and is girded about the waist with a 



PROCEEDINGS. 73 

sash. The object of making it so loose is, so that when it is tied about 
the waist with a sash, it will lie in folds over the body so as to increase 
the thickness. In addition to that, it seems to be the intention to con- 
fine within this jumper a quantity of air, which becomes warmed by 
the body and remains there, acting as an additional protection. Of 
course, without the sash that object could not be attained. A jumper 
worn loose, it seems to me, is not nearly so warm as one belted about 
the waist, for the reason that the warm air from the body rises under 
the loose garment and escapes at the throat, and the cold air and wind 
blowup under it. If you tie it tightly about the waist with a sash 
that circulation of air is broken, and two or three gallons of warm air 
are retained all the time about the body. The natives carry bottles of 
water tied around their necks for the purpose of icing their sledge run- 
ners, as I have stated, and these water bottles rarely freeze, even in 
very cold weather. The head is covered with a hood of fox or wolf- 
skin, made to come well forward over the face. I think the hoods 
used in Arctic expeditions have been defective, in that they leave the 
face too much exposed. With the Siberian hood yon can turn sidewise 
to the wind and have your face at least partially protected. One hood 
is fringed about the face with a heavy border made of the skin of the 
wolverine, bear, or some shaggy fur of that sort, so that in a gale with 
drifting snow the sides can be brought together over the face, and the 
wearer can breathe through the interstices of the fur which affords 
protection and keeps out at the same time the flying snow. Another 
valuable feature of the Siberian dress is the boa worn about the neck 
for the protection of the nose and cheeks. I have tried everything that 
has been used for the protection of the cheek and nose, including silk 
handkerchiefs and squirrel-skin masks, but, with the exception of this 
boa, I never found anything that afforded protection to the face for 
more than half or three-quarters of an hour. Whatever I used would 
then become a solid mass of ice from the moisture of the breath. The 
Siberian natives use a boa made of squirrels' tails, which they wind 
about the neck (they are perhaps ten feet in length) until the coils 
come up over the nose, then they breathe through the loose hair, and 
as fast as one portion becomes frosty they turn it around. In that way 
a boa will last a man all day and furnish him constantly with a warm 
and dry safeguard against frost bites. 

Q. What is the weight of a suit of that clothing ? — A. It varies 
according to the purpose for which the clothing is desired. I carried 
two suits, one to travel in and one for sleeping. The ordinary travel- 
ling suit weighs, I should say, fifteen pounds. The suit for sleeping 
would be double that. 

Q. Is that clothing obtainable anywhere out of Siberia f — A. I 
think not. It could be made anywhere, but it is not obtainable ready- 
made anywhere out of Siberia, so far as I know. In such a dress as I 
have described I have slept out of doors, on the snow, without shelter, 
in temperatures as low as thirty-five degrees below zero, in perfect 
comfort; and when I say perfect comfort, I mean to be taken literally. 
I had a sleeping-bag in addition, of course. Our sleeping-bags were 
about seven feet long and three feet wide, and were made of wolf-skin. 

Q. What kind of a rig would that be for men to w T ork in who had to 
pull boats or sledges ? — A. Very bad. This dress is intended for men 
who ride on sledges. It seems to me that a great mistake has been 
made by many Arctic expeditions in dressing their men too warmly 
when they were compelled to drag sledges, or do heavy work. One 



74 PROCEEDINGS. 

of the greatest dangers to be guarded against by a sledging party is 
becoming over-heated, ;m<l especially should they guard against per- 
spiration. I think there is more danger from perspiration than from 
any other one thing. Men put on heavy furs, and .go out and drag a 
sledge until their under-clothing is saturated with moisture, and then 
when they come into camp and the body cools down, there is a chill 
from the moist fur-clothing, and an atmosphere of dampness in their 
tent or place of shelter, then their clothing saturated with the moisture 
from their bodies freezes, and their tents, sleeping-bags, and all their 
gear have to be fairly broken up with hand -spikes before they can get 
into them the next morning. 

Q. During your residence in Siberia did you see cases of scurvy ! — 
A. Never. 

Q. Have you any positive, decided ideas about the relief of Lieu- 
tenant Greely that would be of use to the Board? — A. There are sev- 
eral suggestions I should like to make for the consideration of the 
Board — general suggestions. I have never visited Smith Sound myself, 
but I knew Doctor Hayes very well, and have often discussed this 
whole question with him. I am, therefore, reasonably familar with the 
country and with what can be done in it. It seems to me that if I were 
a member of a whaling firm and had a crew up there situated as Lieu- 
tenant Greely \s party is, that one of the first things I should do would 
be to offer a reward to any private individual or private ship which 
should succeed in affording relief to the party. That has always been 
done by the British government. It was done throughout the Frank- 
lin searches. It was done more recently when Leigh Smith was lost, 
and more recently still when the Dutch polar expedition in the "Var- 
na " was missing. The whaling fleet from Dundee and Saint John's 
comprises I believe, from twelve to twenty ships. There were four- 
teen whalers from Dundee and Saint John's in Lancaster Sound 
before the "Proteus" sailed from Saint John's last year, and 
all that fleet had gone up Baffin Bay and across Melville Bay to Cape 
York, and then crossed the upper part of Baffin Bay and come down 
into Lancaster Sound; they were all there before the time the "Pro- 
teus w left last spring. It seems to me, therefore, that it is worth a few 
thousand dollars to afford Lieutenant Greek's party that additional 
chance. It frequently happens that a few hours difference in the time 
of arrival of a ship at a given point, may make ail the difference 
between getting through and not getting through for weeks. There 
are so many of these whaling vessels, and their captains are so skillful 
and experienced in ice navigation, that there is a strong probability 
they will be the first ships on the ground next season. It seems to me 
therefore, that it would be well to stimulate effort on their part by 
offering a reward, as has been done repeatedly before. 

In the second place, J should say that it was extremely important 
that a leader for this expedition should be chosen at as early a day as 
possible, in order that he may have the advantage of being connected 
with the expedition from the beginning. Everything that is purchased 
should be purchased under his supervision and with his consent, and 
he should manage, practically, the whole expedition from the beginning. 
I think the man should be, in the first place, one of as extensive Arctic 
experience as possible; that should be the prime requisite, and in the 
second place the character and general attainments of the person 
selected should be considered. I think he should not be too much 
hampered with orders. I think that a man who is competent to take 



PROCEEDINGS. 75 

charge of an Arctic expedition at all, is competent to take charge of it 
entirely, and I would have his instructions of the most general char- 
acter, and would furnish him everything in the way of suggestions 
that I could possibly get from any source. 

I do not know whether the Board has already anticipated a sug- 
gestion I am about to make now, that the Chairman of the Board should 
write to Sir George Nares, Captain Stephenson, Commander 
Markham and Professor Nordenskjold, asking them all for suggest- 
ions with regard to this relief expedition. The three first-named are 
probably better acquainted with the navigation of the upper part of 
Baffin Bay and Smith Sound than any persons now living, Com- 
mander Markham, particularly, and I think that the advice to be 
obtained from those sources would be of the highest value. If I were 
going up there myself in command of the expedition, I should request 
this government to ask leave of that of Great Britain to have Com- 
mander Markham accompany the party as an advisory officer, if he 
would do so. 

There are two or three other things with regard to equipment that I 
think it would be well to mention. In the first place, regarding snow- 
shoes. The Siberian snow-shoe is made of a thin strip of board, per- 
haps seven or eight inches in width, and about five feet in length, 
turned up at the end like a skate, and covered on the bottom with 
skin from the fore-leg of the reindeer; this skin, which is bristly, is put 
on so that the points of the bristles are backward ; this gives a firm 
foothold, and a man with these snow-shoes on can walk up almost any 
acclivity short of a precipice. They slide forward like glass, but the 
instant the foot is thrown backward they hold with a grip that is stronger 
than that of an ordinary boot. It is possible with such shoes, to 
drag a heavy weight over deep, soft snow, and I do not know of any 
other snow-shoe that you can do that with. The foot is never lifted, 
but the shoe is slid forward up out of the snow all the time. 

1 would also suggest that a sledging party going north should try the 
Hudson Bay sledge for deep, soft snow. It never has been tried by 
an Arctic expedition, so far as I know, but it would have been a very 
great advantage I think, in many cases, to the Nares expedition. The 
Hudson Bay sledge is practically an exaggerated and enlarged pattern 
of this Siberian shoe, and will sink only a yerj short distance in the 
snow. It would be possible for men mounted on snow-shoes, such as I 
have described, to walk right over soft snow with a lightly loaded 
Hudson Bay sledge, at the rate of a mile an hour, where Nares' sledges 
made only a mile in four or five hours. Of course, this sledge would 
be of no use in rough ice work, but it could be lashed on the top of one 
of the other sledges, adding very little to the weight, and it might be 
so made that, upon coming to deep, soft snow, the ice sledge could be 
run upon the other and lashed, and the two be turned into one Hudson 
Bay sledge. The records of the Nares expedition show that deep, soft 
snow was one of the greatest difficulties they had to contend with. 

I should like to say a few words about tents, cooking-apparatus, and 
fuel. I think the most important things in a sledging expedition are, 
first, food ; second, fuel ; and third, shelter. I wish to suggest a form 
of tent which I think might be useful. I have never tried it myself, 
but I have thought of it since I returned from Siberia, and it seems to 
me it would save sledging parties an immense .deal of suffering. The 
greatest difficulty we had to contend with in trying to use tents was 
the heavy wind; we could not make any sort of tent stand in the 



7<> PROCEEDINGS. 

gales that swept over those Siberian steppes. The tent which I sug- 
gest should be made conical in shape, with a frame-work of poles 
lashed together at the top, very much as the ribs of an umbrella are 
fastened, each pole to be shod with a spike, and a loose thong of seal- 
skin to run a foot or so from the ground, fastened permanently to the 
pole, would govern the distance to which the frame-work could be 
spread when open. The frame-work could be shut up like an umbrella 
in a single round package the length of the poles. I would set up this 
framework and then secure it by means of anchors made of a piece of 
wood, perhaps two and a half or three feet in length, and twelve inches 
wide, with spikes running through and projecting two and a half inches 
on the under side, with a ring on the side to fasten a line to. 1 would 
fasten this anchor on the snow, run a loaded sledge on, then carry a 
1 ine to the frame ; there would be two such anchors. Having secured the 
frame-work, the whole operation could be performed in two minutes. 
I would hang the tent up inside of the frame-work, instead of attempt- 
ing to pull it over. I would have the tent made like a conical oil- 
can, with the bottom sewed continuously to the sides all around, with a 
small ventilating hole in the top, and would have this rigging fixed on 
the tent, so that a man could take it oft' the sledge in his arms in any 
gale of wind, hang it to the top of this frame-work of poles, and then 
hang or secure it with loop and toggle fastenings to the poles all around. 
I cannot imagine any wind which would prevent that being done, unless 
it was a wind so severe as to tear the canvas to pieces. 

Q. Have you ever seen such a tent? — A. Never; it has never been 
used. I would warm and light the tent with a " Florence " kerosene 
stove. A kerosene stove can only be used there under shelter. It has 
a chimney and requires a draft, and the wind would put it out. But in 
a tent that had a bottom, so that no wind could get into it, a " Flor- 
ence " oil-stove could be used, and I believe it would do all the cook- 
ing and dry the fur stockings of the men, which is of the first import- 
ance. 

The food I have always used on sledge journeys is dried fish, hard 
bread and tea. I have known men to do extremely hard work for more 
than a month at a time on a sledge journey with nothing else. The 
Siberians live without vegetable food practically; they live largely on 
dried fish, and I never heard of a case of scurvy in eastern Siberia. I 
never saw a man broken out with any disorder resulting from food. 1 
have lived on dried fish and hard bread for weeks at a time, and I 
should take that food on a sledging journey if it was obtainable. 

Q. How much would such a ration weigh ? — A. I should say two and 
one-half pounds. I would not use pemmican if I could get anything else, 
for it does not seem to agree with men who are hard worked. The men 
oftheXares expedition had a great prejudice against it, founded on 
something, and I presume in the Nares report there are twenty refer- 
ences to disorders of the stomach and bowels attributed to pemmican. 

Q. Do the Siberians who live on that food perform much manual 
labor ? — A. If they are going over a rough, broken country they do a 
great deal of labor, for their sledges are heavy and require hauling and 
pulling, this way and that, although they do not do any labor as severe 
as drawing heavy sledges over hununocky ice and loading and unload- 
ing twenty times a day. 

By General Hazen : 

Q. What distance could you make daily in Siberian travel? — A. 
Prom five to eighty miles, depending on the condition of the snow. In 



PROCEEDINGS. 77 

the spring I went across on the snow almost constantly, making eighty 
miles daily. When the snow is soft and deep, yon may not be able to 
make a mile in live days. 

By Captain Davis : 

Q. Do you think the average American seaman would be inclined to 
accept the food you have described when employed on sledging jour- 
neys of from thirty to sixty days? — A. Judging from my own tastes, 
I should say yes. There is nothing about the dried fish in any way 
distasteful. It is a food that I ate with perfect relish and all the men 
of our party, native and American, ate it with relish. 

Q. You made no attempt to cook it ? — A. We would sometimes throw 
a split dried fish on the fire and leave it until the fat broiled out, and 
I eat it in that way. It is generally salmon, and seems to contain 
everything that the human system needs under severe labor and when 
exposed to severe cold. We did not confine ourselves at all times to 
this; we took fresh meat whenever we could get it. 

By Lieutenant-Commander McCalla : i 

Q. Did you use stimulants? — A. Not at all, and I should advise 
against their use, except as medicine in certain cases. 

After some time spent in discussion upon the subject of clothing, the 
Kecorder was directed to prepare and send letters to the President of 
the Hudson's Bay Company at London, England, and its General 
Agent at Montreal, Canada, requesting information of that Company 
as to its ability to furnish reindeer-skins suitable for making such 
clothing as is worn by their employes and the Esquimaux in the north- 
ern portions of British America. 

The Board then adjourned to meet tomorrow morning at 11 o'clock. 



Room 88, Navy Department Building, 

Washington, D. C, January 5, 1884. 

The Board met pursuant to adjournment; all the members present. 

Captain Greer presented and read a memorandum of a plan to 
relieve Lieutenant Greelv, prepared bv Commander Frank Wildes, 
U. S. Navy. (Exhibit F.) 

Mr. J. W. Norman, of Saint John's, Newfoundland, being present at 
the session of the Board, stated that, in addition to his previous sug- 
gestions, he would recommend that notice should be given to the owners 
and masters of vessels engaged in the sealing trade to preserve and 
make note of any articles that might be found on their voyages which 
would indicate the location of any exploring parties in the Arctic 
regions. Also, that if the goverment desires to secure the services of 
any of the men employed in sealing expeditions, it should be done 
before the 5th of March, as most of the men secure their berths for the 
summer by that time. 

Capt. Richard Pike, of Saint John's, Newfoundland, being present, 
was further interrogated as follows : 

By Captain Davis : 
Question. Supposing Lieutenant Greely started from Lady Franklin 
Bay about September 1st of last year, either with boats or sledges, or 



78 PROCEEDINGS. 

both, what do you think arc his chances of getting to Littleton Island* 
— Answt'i'. 1 think he would get down. 

(,). About what time should you suppose he would reach there? — A. I 
think by the loth or 20th of September. 

Q. What was the condition of the ice above Lady Franklin Bay when 
you landed him there? — A. Very heavy. 

Q. Do you think you could have gone any higher with your vessel? 
— A. We could not when we landed, but when we came out we could 
have gone further up on the east side. 

Lieut. J. C. Colwell, U. S. Navy, recalled : 
By Captain Davis : 

Question. Do you wish to make any additional statement ? — Answer. 
In the plan submitted by Lieutenant Garlingtou, a naval vessel was rec- 
ommended as a convoy, a ship properly strengthened. That was only 
indicated as a make-shift and to lessen expense; but to do it properly, 
there should be two regularly fitted whaling steamers sent. 

Q. Suppose those vessels fail to get above Gape Sabine, or to a 
harbor above Cape Sabine, would you winter them there ? — A. One I 
would push into the ice and take the chances of having her lost: the 
other I should not try to get above Cape Sabine. 

By Lieutenant-Commander McCalla: 

Q. In the plan submitted by you and Lieutenant Garlingtou, you 
recommend, in substance, that the expedition shall be commanded by 
an officer from the Arm 3 -, and the vessel by an officer from the Navy? — 
A. I was going to refer to that yesterday. I said that, generally, I 
approved of the plan submitted by Lieutenant Garlingtou ; but as to 
the officer in command of the expedition, I think there should be one 
officer in command, and that he should be a naval officer. For sledging 
work on shore, I think soldiers would be better fitted than sailors. 
The class of men we had with Lieutenant Garlingtou this last year. 
enlisted men of the Army, were better fitted for the work we did than 
seamen would be, although it was confined almost entirely to boating. 

Q. Then the recommendation that the expedition should be com- 
manded by an Army officer and the vessel by a Naval officer, does not 
represent your views I — A. No, sir. 

Q. Did you do any sledging last summer? — A. Not much. When 
the ship was lost we rigged up the sledges and I caught six dogs and 
we hauled several loads across the floes to the boats, of stores saved out 
of the ship. 

Q. How long did that take you 'I — A. Five or six hours probably. 

Q. And that is what you refer to when you say you think soldiers 
would be better adapted to sledging on land than seamen l — A. From 
what I saw of these men, they stood the hardships we suffered better 
than would the same number of seamen taken from a man-of-war. 

Q. You had no man-of-war's-men with you to enable you to make the 
comparison l — A. There was one of them along but he was also a soldier, 
and had served only one enlistment in the Navy. 

Q. Do you think the enlisted men of the Army that you saw would 
be better in boats than seamen? — A. Yes, sir; better for the work we 
did. 

Q. In boats I — A. Yes, sir. They stood the work better and did bet- 
ter in every way than any seamen I have seen. I could not of course 
say how men of-wars-men would do. 



PROCEEDINGS. 7!> 

By General Hazen : 

Q. Then von think in the general work, including the probability of 
sledging, and the general rough work which such an expedition is 
almost certain to have on land, that enlisted men of the Army are 
better for that work than men of the Navy! — A. I think a combined 
force on board of a ship, of sailors and soldiers, would be best. I 
think the corps feeling generated between these men would be the 
means of getting better work out of them than if they were all of 
one branch of the service. 

Q. How did those sledges answer the purpose ! — A. They seemed to 
do very well. I had to work in a hurry, and had to overload them ; 
but what little work I did they answered the purpose well. 

By Lieutenant-Commander McCalla : 

Q. Do you know of any Arctic expedition in which officers or men of 
the Army were taken for sledging ? — A. In the Austrian expedition, 
which did about the best work of any of the northern expeditions ; 
it was a joint one of Army and Navy men under Lieutenants Payer and 
Weyprecht; the expedition was commanded by them jointly. 

Q. Were the men who did the sledging on the Payer sledging trip 
enlisted men of the Austrian Army, or mountaineers?— A. I don't 
know whether they were enlisted men of the Army at that time, but 
they had been in the Austrian Army previously. They had served 
under the command of one of those officers. 

By Captain Davis : 

Q. Do you know to what branch of the service Lieutenant Schwatka 
belongs ? — A. To the Army. 

Dr. E:\iile Bessels, of Washington, D. C, recalled. 

By General Hazen : 

Question. At what date should a vessel leave Littleton Island in 
order to secure a safe transit south ? — Answer. About the middle of 
October. 

General Hazen was instructed to inform the Secretaries of War and 
the Navy, respectively, that the Board would be gratified to receive an 
expression of opinion concerning the proposed relief expedition from 
Captains Sir Geo. S. Nares, H. F. Stephenson, and A. B. Markham, 
all of the British Navy. (The responses of these officers will be found 
in Exhibit V. — Becordek.) 

A discussion then ensued as to the necessity of the immediate detail 
of a commander for the proposed expedition. After an interchange 
of opinions, it was unanimously agreed that he should be chosen from 
the Navy, and that the assignment should be made as soon as pos- 
sible. 

In accordance therewith, the President of the Board was instructed 
to forward to the Secretaries of War and the Navy, respectively, letters 
of which the following is a cop}^ : 

Room, Board of Officers Considering Relief 
Expedition to Lieutenant Greely and Party At Lady Franklin Bat, 

Washington, D. C, January 5, 1884. 
Sir: As preliminary to its general report the Board desires to state, that' in its opin- 
ion the selection of an officer to command the proposed relief expedition to Lady 
Franklin Bay'should be made without delay, in order that he may be enabled to make 



80 PROCEEDINGS. 

timely preparations for the work before him. The Board is unanimously of the opinion 
thai the commander of the expedition should be a Naval officer. 
Very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

W. B. HAZEN, 
Brig< & Br I. Maj. Gen I. 
Chief Signal Officer, C S. Anin/, 
/'resident of the Board. 

The Board Mien adjourned to meet on Monday, January 7, 1884, at 
11 a. m. 



Boom SS, Navy Department Building, 

Washington, I). C. January 7, 1884. 
The Board met pursuant to adjournment ; all the members present. 
A communication from F. B. J. Bust, dated New York, January 5, 
1884, was received and read. (Abst. Mis. Cor., No. 28.) The Recorder 
was directed in acknowledging the same, to invite Mr. Rust to submit 
a memorandum embodying such suggestions as he might be pleased 
to make, touching the organization of the proposed expedition. 

Lieut. J. 0. Colwell, XJ. S. Navy, appeared before the Board and 
made the following additional statement: 

I think I can make my statement already given to the Board some- 
what clearer, by adding a brief explanation. I did not mean to recom- 
mend the use of soldiers for boating in preference to seamen, but what 
I do recommend, is a detail of enlisted men from the Army to accom- 
pany the expedition, every party sent away from the ships to be com- 
posed of men of both branches of the service. The reason I recommend 
soldiers is, that on general principles, I consider them better adapted 
for land work than seamen. There are many things a soldier can do 
that a seaman knows nothing of, and many things a seaman can do 
that a soldier can not do. This opinion I have formed from what I 
saw of Lieutenant Garlington's party, whom I considered particularly 
well -fitted for the work which had to be done in that region. The work 
we did was nearly all boating, the sledging amounting to nothing; 
but even at boating, though foreign to their usual occupation, they 
proved themselves better men, more enduring, and adapted themselves 
more readily to the various circumstances as they arose than would the 
average man-of-war's-man. They were under better discipline, aud were 
more trustworthy than the average man-of-war's man .The boat's crew 
I had T would not have exchanged for the best boat's crew on board the 
" Yantic." I had so much confidence in these men I had with me, that I 
intended to take the same boat's crew back north for the rest of the 
party — in case I failed to meet the " Yantic, "or the "Yantic "refused to 
return north — without the addition of one man; and the men all 
expressed their willingness and desire to go with me. It should be 
remembered, however, that Lieutenant Garlington's men were picked 
men, and in the remarks I have made I have compared the average 
man-of-war's man to the men of Lieutenant Garlington's party. They 
were picked men, and Americans. There would be no difficulty in 
obtaining plenty of volunteers from the Navy, as 1 saw from the tem- 
per of the u Yantic's" crew; but the right kind of men might not offer 
themselves. In Saint John's, when we returned there last fall, it was 
rumored that the United States Government was to purchase a ship at 
once and send her north, and that I was to go in command of her. A 
boatswaiu's-mate of the u Yantic " came to me with a list of seventeen 



• ! 



PROCEEDINGS. 81 

men whom he said wished to go with me, and he said there were many 
more on board that ship who would like to go back north if they 
were assured about their pay after their terms of enlistment expired; 
but those men were not the class of men I would select; they 
were mostly foreigners. If I had the command of a vessel fitting 
for Arctic service, I would wish to have the selection of my own crew, 
and, as a rule, I would not select men-of-war 7 s-men. I think a crew 
specially selected, and a detail of enlisted men from the Army to 
steady them, would, with their combined knowledge and the discipline 
of the soldiers, form a force that could not be improved upon for Arctic 
work. 

In answer to a question the other day as to whether any soldier had 
ever been used on Arctic work, I did not state that it had been done ; 
but some years ago Captain Black, in his expedition in British North 
America, had with him four artillerymen, of whose services he speaks 
in the highest way. They were Royal Artillerymen, taken from the 
fortifications about Montreal. He speaks of their steadiness, and of the 
confidence which the presence of those men gave as serving to steady 
the rest of the men, among whom an insubordinate temper had com- 
menced to show itself. Their endurance and knowledge of the work in 
hand he also speaks highly of. 

By Lieuteuant-Oommander MoCalla: 
Q. Did your men suffer any from sea-sickness in the boat? — A. 
Yes, during heavy weather. Crossing Melville Bay I was for twenty 
hours in a gale of wind in a whale-boat, with a very heavy sea 
running, and three of my men were very sea-sick. That was the 
only time. 

By Captain Davis : 

Q. Would you expect to find rough seas and conditions that would 
make sea-sickness probable in Smith Sound and Kennedy Channel 
in the narrow water-leads ? — A. I would not expect to find any heavy 
sea there. 

The Recorder then read a memorandum, prepared at the request of 
the Board, from Lieut. N. R. Usher, U. S. Navy, forwarded through 
the Navy Department, containing a project for the relief of Lieutenant 
Greely and party. (Exhibit G.) 

The President of the Board w r as directed to request the Secretary of 
War to have the daily record of the Board printed. 

The room was then cleared, and an informal discussion took place in 
regard to the detail of two officers from the Signal Service and a small 
corps of enlisted men from the United States Army, and in regard to 
a preliminary report as to the advisability of offering a national reward 
for the discovery and rescue of Lieutenant Greely and his party. 

The Board then adjourned to meet to-morrow, the 8th instant, at 11 
a. in. 



Room 88, Navy Department Building, 

Washington, D. C, January 8, 1884. 
The Board met pursuant to adjournment; all the members present. 
A letter from Dr. Irving C. Rosse, acknowledging receipt of a com- 
munication from the Board, dated the 5th instant, was read. (Abs, 
Mis. Cor., No. 29,) 

6 



82 PROCEEDINGS. 

A communication from Sergeant Christian Madsen, Troop A, 5th U. 
S. Cavalry, was received and read. (Abs. Mis. Oct., No. 30.) 

A price-list from William Macnaughtan's Sons, of New York, N. Y., 
dealers in furs and skins, was then submitted, and the Recorder was 
directed to make inquiry of said firm as to their ability to furnish tanned 
reindeer skins sufficient for making one hundred suits of ordinary Arctic 
clothing. 

Lieut. ROBERT M. Berry, U. S. Navy, in response to an invitation, 
appeared before the Board, and was interrogated as follows: 

By Captain Davis: 

Question. Please state with what expeditions north of the Arctic 
Circle yon have served. — Answer. I was on the "Tigress'' when sent 
for the relief of the "Polaris" party in 1873. and I commanded the 
" Rodgers" when sent for the relief of the " Jeannette." 

Q. Yon have, no doubt, formed some opinion about the best method 
of proceeding with the organization and conduct of an expedition to 
relieve Lieutenant Greely. If yon have, will you please give us the 
benefit of your judgment in regard to this matter ? — A. I believe the 
best method of relieving him would be to get the most suitable ship 
possible, and she would require quite a number of alterations to fit her 
for this special service, such as the alteration of quarters, special 
arrangements for heating and for obviating dampness, in order to 
preserve the health of the crew. I also think that any vessel which 
could be found would require additional and very material strength- 
ening. I think a ship of about four hundred tons would be the best 
size. In regard to the rudder and propeller, there would also have to 
be some alteration to put them in proper shape, so that they could be 
readily unshipped or the propeller well protected, one or the other, and 
the pipes connected with the machinery should be protected in such a 
way as to prevent their freezing. In addition to this, the vessel ought 
to be thoroughly fitted with boats, the best of which I think would be 
of the New Bedford whale-boat pattern, that being the most serviceable 
open boat that I know of, and there should also be a full outfit of sleds. 

With regard to provisions and clothing, I do not think any better 
can be provided than those furnished the u Jeannette " Relief Expe- 
dition, with the exception that, if possible, I should supply more 
reindeer clothing in the place of sheepskin ; the number of trading 
articles for that expedition would be in excess of requirements, because 
there would be but limited opportunity for trading with the natives of 
Greenland: but some articles would be supplied. 

I think the ship ought to be under some thorough military organiza- 
tion, and I would advise no division of authority in any way. It seems 
to me also, that the commander should be some one who has had expe- 
rience in the north, and I think the best men who could be found for 
the service would be those who could be selected from the Navy, men 
of good character, active, and between the ages of twenty-five and 
thirty-five. I do not know that I should make that an absolute require- 
ment, but men of about that age should have the preference. 

I believe a second ship for the expedition woidd be of great service. 
It would not necessarily need the same amount of strengthening and 
fitting that the first or principal ship would, because it would not be 
required to remain in that region during the winter. But she could 
take an additional supply of clothing, fuel, and such other articles as 
might be needed ; and she could also be used in establishing depots of 



PROCEEDINGS. 8,3 

supplies, so that in case the first vessel — which is intended to push on 
as far as her commander might think practicable — should be crushed 
or disabled in any way, her crew would have means of retreat. These 
depots thus established, should consist of supplies for expeditions pro- 
ceeding northward for Lieutenant Greely's relief, iu case the main part 
of the expedition — as I should call the first ship — failed to reach him. 

In regard to the time of starting, I would vary it somewhat 
with the season. Some seasons there are more open than others. 
But the ship should reach Cape York as early as possible after the 
ice opens, because in case Lieutenant Greely retreats in the spring 
and should reach as far south as that he would probably need pro- 
visions, and it might also prevent his taking the hazardous trip in open 
boats across Melville Bay. The best time, however, for reaching the 
highest point possible would be very much later, and I presume that 
the latter part of August or the first of September would be the best 
time to make the attempt to get north with the ship. After the ship 
had gone into winter quarters,. as she would have to do some time 
in September, (of which her commanding officer would be the best 
judge) then fit out the boat expeditions and in the autumn proceed as 
far north as you can, placing depots of stores along in the intervals, 
leaving them well protected from the bears, wolves or other animals 
that might prey upon them, and also marking them as prominently as 
possible with flags and cairns. These stores, of course, might be of great 
assistance to Lieutenant Greely in case he should reach them. Directly 
after going into winter quarters it might be of advantage to attempt 
an expedition with boats. They might, if they did nothing else, much 
more readily carry a large quantity of provisions and stores for depots 
than could be done with sleds. Of course, the spring is the best time 
for sledging north, and if there was nothing heard from Lieutenant 
Greely or his party in the fall, that would be the most favorable time 
for making an effort with sleds. With regard to sleds, I should have 
them provided both for hauling by men and by dogs. If you can get 
a road which is at all smooth you can travel much more rapidly with 
dogs than you cau with men. On the other hand, if the ice should be 
particularly rough, then you would get along better with men. But 
both should be there for use. The best style of dog-sleds I believe 
to be such as the Ohukches use,* they make them from drift-wood, 
from birch principally, and they are held together entirely by lashings. 
They might also serve for hauling by men, but it would be well to have 
other sledges similar to the McClintock pattern. 

I should recommend in addition to the boats that go with the ship, 
some species of balsa, to be determined upon after experiment. They 
would be very useful at any time in carrying large quantities of pro- 
visions, and would not be so liable to swamp or capsize as the boats, 
because they could be made water-tight and covered over. 

I believe also in having some natives along, as they are far more 
expert dog drivers and hunters in those regions than white people, and 
have always been very efficient in taking game. They know the habits 
of game and will catch it when white men cannot. 

Q. Where do you think the best vessel for this purpose could be 
obtained i — A. I have not considered that matter. The " Rodgers " 
was a vessel well adapted to Arctic work. She was built in Maine, and 
was of the modern style of whaling vessel. Her steam power was 
hardly sufficient, however. Her speed, under the most favorable cir- 
cumstances, was about six and one-half knots, and in a head wind 



84 PROCEEDINGS. 

reduced very rapidly, because of her heavy spars, I do not know of 
any vessel in the east adapted to the purpose. 

In regard to the balsa, the most I have seen appear to me to be too 
heavy. I think a lighter balsa could be made by using- in its construc- 
tion some other materia! than wood; light steel, or even tin might be 
used inside. I would have an open space in them which might be 
closed water-tight — a place to store provisions. I think the shell of 
the balsa less likely to be cut by thin ice than a boat. 

Q. For the transportation of fifteen persons with fifteen day's sup- 
plies, what would be the weight of such a balsa ? — A. I could not say. 

Q. How does the clothing used in Greenland by the natives compare 
with that used in Siberia, as to warmth and suitability for a cold cli- 
mate? — A. That which I saw in Siberia made by the Ohukches was 
far superior, although the clothing we obtained at Saint Michaels was 
nearly on a par with that which you obtain in Greenland. They seem 
to select better skins in Siberia, fall skins, and they are tanned and 
made very pliable and durable. Skins taken later may be heavier, 
but are not as durable ; the hair breaks. They use the fall skins for 
the parte, as they call it, and the trousers ; and for boots and gloves 
they use the leg-skins of the reindeer. The soles of the boots are made 
of large seal-skin, ookjook, or else young walrus skin; they use other 
boots, especially in sleeping, the legs made iu the same way, and the 
soles of bear-skin, with the hair left underneath. They give great 
warmth made in that way. The socks are made of fawn -skin. 

Q. Of what garments did the Siberian suit consist ? — A. Of a cap, 
sometimes, and generally a hood, which comes over the head, project- 
ing somewhat, with straps passing around the shoulders, also a round- 
about, or jacket, fitting closely around the neck and coming down to 
the middle of the thigh, with a belt around the waist. They are 
very large and loose so that the wearer can draw his arm inside 
and warm his hands. The trousers come to the middle of the waist 
and are drawn tight by cords there and at the ankles. They 
generally wear the shoes inside the trousers with the trousers tied 
around outside over the top of them, which excludes the snow com- 
pletely. In some cases they let the trousers come down and the boots 
come up below the knee and are tied around the calf of the leg. But 
in either case the outer covering must be made snug and close; other- 
wise the fine snow works its way in. I think the trousers coming out- 
side and tied around the top the better plan. 

Q. Then the suit consisted of a pair of socks, boots, trousers, coat, 
and cap or hood ? — A. Yes, sir; and then the undercoat, with the hair 
worn next the skin, drawers the same, and an outer coat with the hair 
outside. The outer coat is something like a jumper. 

Q. If meu are obliged to pull sledges, would they find that cloth- 
ing adapted to the work? — A. More so than any other I know 
of, because nothing gives the same amount of warmth for its weight. 
The reindeer-skin has the advantage of having straight hair, and 
the natives carry with them a light bone stick made of a piece of horn 
flattened out, which they call a "beater," and, whenever the fur gets 
full of snow, they take the stick and hammer the snow off each other, 
or frequently pull off the outer coat and hammer it with the stick 
themselves, and the snow falls out. That is not the case with sheep- 
skin, as we found the weight of our sleeping-bags increased rapidly 
because we could not beat the snow out. They also wear under the chin 
a deer-skin tin]* which projects and falls over, and around the head there 



PROCEEDINGS. 85 

is a light fur fringe of either dog or fox-skin, which adds materially to 
the warmth of the face and protects it to a certain extent by retaining 
for a time the warm breath as it passes from the month. I know of no 
way in which yon can protect the nose and cheeks except by having 
something of that kind projecting in that way. If yon place anything 
over your nose and cheeks and breathe through it, the ice and frost 
form upon it and eventually the covering becomes a mass of ice through- 
out. Their gloves are also made of reindeer-skin, which I prefer to the 
buffalo gloves furnished the u Jeannette " expedition : they are more 
pliable and soft and collect less ice on the inside. 

Q. Are they gloves or mitts? — A. They are mitts; finger-gloves 
would be impracticable. These mitts are made with a slit at the wrist 
inside, enabling the wearer to withdraw his hand, leaving the mitt 
still attached to the wrist, the hand bare and free. 

Q. In the organization of such a corps, would you give preference to 
Americans? — A. To Americans, or any of the north country people 
living in our country, would be well suited for the purpose. 

Q. I believe you had no experience with sleds on the Greenland 
coast ! — A. No, sir. 

Q. Did the " Kodgers " develop any defects of a character that could 
be guarded against iu the fitting of vessels for similar service? — 
A. I think not, except with regard to her heating apparatus which 
might be improved, and her quarters. But her outfit of food, provis- 
ions, &c, seemed to me well adapted to the wants of the party. 

Q. For a vessel of four hundred tons, what number of persons do 
you think should compose the crew — officers and men I — A. Not to 
exceed thirty -five. 

Q. Had you any scurvy aboard the "Rodgers"? — A. Not while I 
was with her. After I left, in the crew while quartered at Saint 
Lawrence Bay, I believe there were some slight touches of scurvy, 
while they were living in villages. 

Q. During your experience, have you had to travel over any very 
rough and hummocky ice? — Yes, in some places where we were forced 
from the beach by abrupt cliffs, for short distances. 

Q. In rough , hummock}' ice, dogs are not effective ? — A. I think not. 
But I think from what I have read in Kane's account, and in other books 
of Arctic travel, the ice-foot could be travelled upon in Smith Sound, 
and in that region. 

Q. But I understand that you would not expect to make any very 
effective use of sleds in the autumn, moving up from Smith Sound? — 
A. I should say, in a case of that kind, do all you can, but I should 
not expect them to gain a very great distance. The autumn is the 
season of gales and snow, the days are growing shorter, and other 
circumstances are against travelling; the drift is also very much 
greater. Sometimes in the autumn we would find the drifting snow 
so great for several days that we were unable to move at all; we 
could not see our way. In the spring there is much better weather, 
and the winds are not as severe. 

Q. Do you think a steam-launch would be of very much use in addi- 
tion to the equipment of your vessel ? — A. I do not. 
By Captain Greer : 

Q. Would you advise the employment of an ice-master? — A. I 
would if the commanding officer is unacquainted with the ice; other- 
wise I would not, and I think, as a rule, he would not be of material ser- 
vice any way. 



S<l PROCEEDING 

Q. How many reindeer-skins would be required for the clothing of an 
average-sized man ! — A. Two skins will make it, independent of the 
foot-gear. Probably a large sized suit would require three. 

Q. In ordinary ire travelling, how many men would be required to 
manage a sledge with ten dogs ? — A. If it was a light sled I should 
think about six men. The sledges ought not to be made too heavy, 
especially for rough ice. I think it would be better to increase the 
number of sledges so as to avoid heavy loads. [ do not think a sled 
should weigh over 1,200 or 1,500 pounds, loaded. With these light 
weights the sleds are less liable to be broken, because the men can 
guide them better. 

By General Hazen : 
Q. Was the clothing for the u Rodgers " made from special patterns 
for that service, or was it adopted from patterns used before? — A. 
From patterns used before. We took up a full supply of sheepskin 
clothing made here, because we did not know whether we could get 
reindeer clothing; and for the reindeer clothing we took the same 
pattern that the natives used, which I do not think could be improved 
upon. 

By Captain Davis : 

Q. What would be the proper load, per dog, in Siberian sledge 
work ? — A. In heavy work, where you did not travel too far, a 
dog would haul from fifty to seventy pounds, depending on the dis- 
tance travelled. If you desired to make forty or fifty miles a day, 
which could be done over smooth ice, an average-sized dog should not 
haul over twenty-five pounds. A dog can haul sixty or seventy pounds 
over smooth ice, travelling slowly. 

Q. How does the Siberian compare with the Greenland dog? — 
A. There are several varieties in Siberia, one variety fully equal 
to the Greenland dog. I think they will compare favorably with 
those you get in Greenland. While on the "Tigress,' 1 I saw some 
dogs at Littleton Island much finer than any of those we had gotten in 
Greenland. First-quality Siberian dogs are about the same as those 
we found up there; the others were inferior. 

Q. In the reports of English officers who went on sledging expedi- 
tions in the Franklin search, they frequently speak of loads one hun- 
dred pounds per dog, and two hundred pounds per man ? — A. Well, a 
dog might haul that, but he would go at a very slow pace. Those 
we had ranged from fifty to seventy-five pounds, and I should think 
one of them might very readily haul his weight and make a fair trip. 

Q. In sledging in Greenland, would you harness your team after the 
Siberian or Esquimaux method ?— A. I think I should adopt the Siber- 
ian method, and put them in pairs, with one leader. 

After a short recess, the Board resumed its session. 

Lieut. John W. Daxenhower,U. S. Navy, appeared in response to 
the invitation of the Board, and was examined as follows: 

By Captain Davis : 

Question. Please state in what Arctic expedition you have served? 
— Answer. With the " Jeannefte " Arctic Expedition, as navigator. 
1 joined the ship in the spring of 1878. and since that time have devoted 
myself to the subject of Arctic explorations. 

Q. Have you formed an opinion as to the best method of relieving 
Lieutenant Greel.v and party .'—A. I have given that matter consider- 



PROCEEDINGS. 87 

able thought arid attention. In my opinion such an expedition should 
be fitted out to reach Lady Franklin Bay as an objective point, but 
there is every probability that Lieutenant Greely will be found at Cape 
York or Littleton Island, or perhaps on the west side of the channel at 
Gape Sabine. I think two vessels should be procured as soon as pos- 
sible, vessels of three hundred tons, and I think they could be procured 
at Baltimore or Boston. For example, the fruiters which go to the 
Mediterranean are about that size, and the West India traders and 
coffee traders. They should be taken to a navy-yard and strengthened. 
They should be ceiled with pine planking about four inches in thick- 
ness, and the transverse strength should be given by bulkheads. They 
should be engined and fitted with two-bladed screws, and shifting rud- 
ders. They should also have a wrought-iron casing to cover the stem 
and strips going up, and should be given a sheathing of American elm. 
In my opinion the best rig would be that of an hermaphrodite brig, 
and fitted with good sail power so as to be able to work under sail with 
the screw triced up. They should have a complement of twenty-eight, 
or not exceeding thirty men, the party under the command of two naval 
officers, and be provisioned for at least eighteen months. 

In addition to the two vessels just mentioned, there should be a 
supply or store ship sent as high as Upernavik, not to go beyond there, 
to carry extra coal and provisions for this party. The relief vessels 
should not leave New York or Saint John's too heavily laden ; they should 
be in good trim, and the supply ship should carry the extra stores neces- 
sary to complete the equipment of the others for eighteen months. After 
leaving the northernmost station, Upernavik for example, the general 
plan of operations should be to reach Cape York as soon as the season 
will permit, in the early part of June if possible, and then both ships 
should go to Littleton Island, the senior officer should cross over 
to Cape Sabine, and the second in command should remain at Littleton 
Island. The ships should be prepared to withstand heavy nips, but not 
to force the ice of Smith Sound by ramming, and I think that after the 
preparation already stated, they would be in a stronger condition than 
the "Alert" and "Discovery" were when the English expedition 
went up in 1875-6. As to forcing the ice in Smith Sound by ramming, 
it is an impossibility for any ship to do it. 

The ship on the west side of the channel under the commander-in- 
chief, should be handled with skill and judgment and work her 
way north in a similar manner to the "Alert" and "Discovery." 
The ship on the east side should remain at Littleton Island and form 
a permanent base to fall back upon in case the first was crushed. 
But the second on reaching Littleton Island should send out a sledge 
party up the eastern side (it is a mooted question which would be the 
most open at this season, the eastern or the western side), consisting 
of a lieutenant, an assistant surgeon, and eight seamen. This party 
should have, in ray opinion, two McClintock sledges with two thirteen 
feet dorys, one mounted on each sledge. They can carry all their pro- 
visions and stores in those two boats. From studying the subject I con- 
clude that the difficulties in travelling there are very similar to those 
encountered by us in our journey over the ice, and I think the best 
organization for a sledge party would be what I have mentioned, and 
the sledges should be handled by man power: dogs are not as effective. 
In case they come to an}' open water, for example leads or any open 
bays, they can launch both boats and cross. This will also give them 
the advantage of boat capacity for Lieutenant Greely's party when 
found. 



88 PROCEEDINGS. 

While this is being carried out, of course the west ship should be 
working up as the English expedition did, and if they are delayed and 
can not proceed they should throw out a sledge party on the west coast 
to work along the ice-toot, over the ice and through the water as we did. 
In preparing these sledge expeditions we have to consider the succor 
that is to be given Lieutenant Greely when we meet him, and also our 
ability to bring him back with us. These two thirteen feet dorys would 
be sufficient to transport a large party. They may have to make two 
fleets, but they are much better than a whale-boat. The lightest 
whale-boat obtainable is clinker-built, weighing about 1,500 pounds, 
including outfit. The two dorys will weigh not much more than half 
that. The dory is the best boat used on the American coast. It is 
used by fishermen who run out in heavy gales of wind, and has more 
capacity for its size and general dimension than any other form of boat, 
and is considered the safest. 

That is the general scheme which I have in mind; the vessel on the 
west side taking every risk that the judgment of the commander thinks 
proper, to reach Lady Frauklin Bay, in the mean time the coast on both 
sides will have been searched. This vessel should carry a signal gun. 
Night signals are not necessary, because it is daylight all the time 
there at that season. 

Another thing to be considered is the weather. The principal part 
of the work will take place in July and August, when it is thawing. 
A thin coat of young ice might form during the night, but that is 
not very likely until after the middle of August. The men should 
be clad expressely for that summer work, and I think the best kind 
of clothing for the boat and sledge work is what is called the 
"Hard-times" suit used out west, a light canvas suit, lined with 
blanket stuff. Each man should be provided with a heavy suit of 
underclothing, red flannel, with a fur waistcoat. There is generally 
a great deal of rain and misty weather there, and fur is of no use out- 
side. When wet, hair comes out at once, and it is soft and flabby. 
When I came over the ice I used a fur waistcoat, with a canvas coat 
over it, and I found I had the best rig of anybody in the party; it 
was so considered. Gloves at that season are not specially important; 
meu can work bare-handed. 

Special attention should be given to the outfit of the sledge party in 
the way of provisions, and as it is pretty wet work, the provisions 
should be carried in water-proof bags or carefully prepared tin canis- 
ters. The advantage of the method I have suggested is, that the pro- 
visions need not be shifted; they can be stowed in the boats, and five 
men could handle one boat if the difficulties are not great. If they 
come to a rough place, ten men would not be enough to move a whale- 
boat and provisions, but ten men could move a dory, mounted as I 
have stated, with ease. 

There should be a regular system of signals between the parties in 
case they meet, and in every permanent camping place on the ice-foot 
or shore, there should be a memorandum left by the officers in charge. 
The two officers should be able-bodied and capable of working with 
the men. I think the men should be seamen, because it is principally 
boat-work, and seamen are handier at such work than anybody else. 
I know frequent expeditions have been made overland with western 
men who were very hardy and enduring, and I would not say anything 
which would disparage them ; but still I think for that particular 
kind of work seamen are the best. If the party were commanded by 



PROCEEDINGS. 8^ 

a lieutenant in the Army, and all the men were seamen, good results 
could be expected. 

In case the first ship is unable to reach Lady Franklin Bay, or unable 
to find Lieutenant Greely's party, they should come back to Littleton 
Island, and that ship should remain there another winter, and the 
second ship return and report. But there is every reason to suppose 
that the party will be found during that summer. The experience of ! 
Doctor Kane, Doctor Hayes, and the Polaris people shows that effective 
sledging and searching cannot be done in the autumn or spring ; sum- 
mer is the only time, and July and August the only two months. 

The object of the supply ship is to wait until they get news, or until 
the party is found and rescued, when proper quarters can be afforded, 
nursing and care. On the little ships they would not be able to quarter 
them, because they would be crowded. The easternmost sledge party 
would, in all probability, be able to reach Lady Franklin Bay in July 
or August ; but the easternmost ship should not be risked beyond Little- 
ton Island ; it should be put in quarters in a safe harbor, and if there 
is no sate place, she should go over where Doctor Kaner wintered, on 
the adjoining eastern coast; she will find a safe harbor there. 

I also belie ve in offering a very large reward to the Dundee whale- 
men, in case they are in the " north water," as it is called, for picking up 
the party, or bringing news of them. I would also suggest that these 
two small vessels, if they return safely, could be used effectively as 
naval vessels in the inland waters of Alaska aud other places, and 
therefore the money spent would not be lost. But if we employ two 
sealers, or steam whalers from Dundee, that would be a loss, pecuni- 
arily, to the Government. 

The special articles needed by the sledging party, are Liebig's extract, \ 
tea, pemmican, and hard bread. A person can get along on that diet 
for sixty days without any trouble. And as they are going to do spe- 
cial work in a limited time, it might be well to give them stimulants, 
although for continued Artie work I do not believe in the use of alco- 
holic liquors. But where the most work is to be done in the least time, 
I believe in stimulants. 

The dorys 1 speak of I have examined recently at Provincetown ; 
that is the best place to obtain them. 

I would have picked men for this work, selected from volunteers in the 
Navy, and, if they can be obtained, whalemen or Cape Cod fishermen. 
They are excellent men for the purpose. I believe they should be Amer- 
icans. Their avoirdupois should not be specially considered, but I think 
vigorous men of medium size are better for the work than large men. 

The officer in command of the expedition should be the man to do the 
work on the west side and take the risks. The second in command is 
simply to back him in case of accident. I believe also in taking natives 
from Upernavik in order to be able to talk with the Etah Indians aud 
gain intelligence from them ; that the fur clothing for the expedition 
for one winter should be made in New York, and that no dogs should be 
taken, because they will not prove effective in that work. 

Q. What length of time do you think would be required to fit those 
vessels for Arctic service in the manner you describe ? — A. «I think if 
the vessels were selected and at the New York, or any other navy-yard, 
by the first of March, they would be ready by the first of May. 

Q. What speed are those vessels able to attain under ordinary condi- 
tions? — A. They make under sail 10 to 12 knots, and under good cir- 
cumstances, should make under steam alone, in smooth water, about 9 



; 



90 PROCEEDINGS. 

knots. They should be fitted with the best of everything, engines and 
all, and should be able to make 9 knots, which is sufficient. 

Q. Did not the ships of the English expedition do a great deal o 
ramming 1 — A. I think not; ships cannot stand it. I believe the capa 
bility of a ship to ram ice is exaggerated. I have seen the " Jeannette* 
try it, and her masts would shake like whip-stocks every time, and she 
accomplished nothing. If a ship puts her bows between two large fields 
of ice and goes ahead slowly, she can accomplish something, if there is 
no wind. But as to going headlong against the ice with a ship, I do 
not believe it can be done effectively. 

Q. Is not the ice in Smith Sound in the summer in softer condition 
than the ice you saw north of Siberia ? — A. That probably comes from 
the ramming and jamming together of the ice. That posh ice is the 
worst kind to work in. It banks up all around and you are hemmed in 
fast before you are hardly aware of it. 

Q. Are not the Dundee vessels obliged to attack the ice and force 
their way in and out of the inlets and bays? — A. Yes, they attack ice 
of moderate thickness about 4 to 6 inches, but I do not believe they 
ever attempt to force such ice as is encountered in Smith Sound, sea 
ice, with an average winter growth of 6 to 10 feet. It thaws in the lat- 
ter part of June and July to a thickness of 5 or 6 feet. 

Q. Would any explosive, such as gun-cotton, be useful in relievin 
the ship from pressure, or making docks"? — A. Docks have been effect- 
ively used by the whale ships in the ice-foot, or in young ice. If it is 
not too heavy they might be able to blow up part of it and dock the 
vessel temporarily. 

Q. What progress could be made by five men, hauling their own pro- 
visions on a sledge and dory equipped as you have described, in the 
region over which you travelled? — A. With two boats fitted in that way, 
in the worst part of our travelling, we could have made at least 5 miles 
a day, although there was one occasion where we only made 1,000 yards ' 
after working 12 hours. But our boats and outfit were much heavier 
than those I propose. 

Q. What time do you think it would take two sledges thus equipped, 
under similar conditions to those you encountered in retreating with the 
crew of the " Jeanuette," to make the distance between Cape Sabine 
and Discovery Harbor ? — A. The distance is, perhaps, 200 miles. I 
should say a sledge party in the month of July ought to average 15 
miles a day, if not loaded down too much. The maximum weight given 
for a man to drag in the English service was 240 pounds ; that was the 
limit. Two hundred pounds is much preferable. This party would not 
have much more than 200 pounds to haul with that outfit. 

Q. You think the sledge party on the east side would be the one most 
likely to reach its destination? — A. I know the "Polaris" party had no 
difficulty in reaching a high latitude on that side. If the west side 
is closed the east is more apt to be open, and vice versa. The Polaris 
had no difficulty in reaching Thank God Harbor at that season. 

Q. About what is the weight of this dory ? — A. A 13-foot dory would 
weigh about 500 pounds. 

Q. Andjcarryhow many persons? — A. It will carry more, for the 
general dimensions, than any other boat. Very heavy loads of fish are 
put in them. They ride out gales on the banks of Newfoundland. One 
great advantage is, that in a rough sea they can use a drag. 

Q. Would you propose offering any rewards to the crew of the ves 
ael for faithful service and success !■— A. Yes, increased pay. I do not 



PROCEEDINGS. 91 

think $25 a month, which was the pay on our expedition, was adequate 
to the service performed. 

Q. Do you think steam cutters could be made effective in such an ex- 
pedition ? — A. I do not, because they cannot be hauled out on the ice 
by the number of men carried, and you cannot conveniently carry fuel. 
The fuel of a sledge party should be alcohol, and I would suggest methy- 
lated alcohol, or alcohol with some acid in it, rendering it unpalatable to 
those who wished to drink it. For camp stoves alcohol is the best fuel. 
A pint will do the cooking at each meal for a party of eight men. Each 
party of ten men should have a stove. 

Q. Do you regard reindeer as better than seal-skin clothing ? — A. For 
the winter, yes; but it would not be needed until September. 

Q. Would you carry material with which to build shelters on shore ? — 
A. Yes, and if it was decided to establish a depot of provisions on the 
east shore, I would provide a guard also of four men to protect them 
from wandering natives. An important thing iespecting the boats is ' 
to have them painted black, and the tents and boat-sails should be a 
tan-color, so as to make them conspicuous objects, not only for the party 
you are seeking, but for your own men. To protect the eyes, snow 
goggles of glass should be worn, and the party should work during 
the p. m. hours when the sun is lowest. It is misty or cloudy generally 
at about midnight, and the men can get along without wearing goggles. 

Q. Did you use wire-gauze goggles ? — A. Yes ; we covered the frames 
with red flannel or velvet. 

Q. You think dogs would be no addition to an equipment ? — A. I am 
convinced they would not, but rather a disadvantage. Our dogs were 
of no use to us. If we had not taken the dogs and the food they con- 
sumed, it would have been better for us. 

Chief Engineer George W. Melyille, of the United States Navy, 
appeared, in response to the invitation of the Board, and was interro- 
gated as follows : 

By Captain Davis : 

Question. In what Arctic expeditions have you seen service !— An- 
swer. I was in the " Tigress n with Captain Greer and in the Jeannette 
expedition. 

Q. You have formed doubtless some general ideas in regard to the 
relief of Lieutenant Greely at Lady Franklin Bay. We would like to 
hear what you have to say in regard to that. — A. When I received or- 
ders to appear before your Board I took the liberty of writing out some 
notes, as 1 thought I could probably remember my ideas better in that 
way. If the Board has no objection I will read these notes as they are, 
and discuss them as we go along. 

My general plan is for two vessels ; one steamer of 400 tons, properly 
fitted with six whale-boats and two years' supplies for forty officers and 
men ; one schooner, to carry three officers and ten men, to go as far as Up- 
ernavik as store and supplementary ship, with two whale-boats and one 
dingy ; the schooner to carry 300 tons of coal and six months' supplies 
for thirteen men. As Upernavik is easily accessible in the spring, the 
schooner is to be there as early as possible and await the arrival of the 
steamer ; one of our Coast Survey schooners will auswer the purpose. 
Upon the arrival of the steamer at Upernavik, to fill up with coal from 
the schooner, and take from her one whale-boat, officer and crew, with 
sixty days' rations of pemmican, bread, alcohol, and tea ; the steamer to 
stop at Tessuissak to make inquiry for Greely and to leave twenty days' 



92 PROCEEDINGS. 

rations for the boat's crew. When the steamer arrives at Cape *York r 
launch the first search-boat and crew, with forty days' provisions, and 
work back to Tessuissak, take a rest, pick up his twenty days' supplies,, 
and on to Upernavik, join his vessel, and await the return of the steamer, 
the steamer to work her way as early as possible to Littleton Island r 
land two whale-boats and ninety days' provisions for the whole ship's 
company, land one officer and one boat's crew to guard the stores and 
await the return of the steamer, both whale-boats being fully equipped.. 
The steamer then to continue cautiously north toward Lady Franklin Bay, 
having two expeditionary whale-boats and sledges, fully equipped with 
sixty days' supplies, in readiness to proceed to the northward from the 
ship and reach Fort Conger, at Lady Franklin Bay ; the steamer to fol- 
low up carefully, taking advantage of open water as offered. In case ac- 
cident now happens to the ship let the crew take to the two remaining 
whale-boats and retreat on Littleton Island, carrying with them what 
stores they can. The expeditionary boats and sledges are to go to Fort 
Conger and find definite information of Greely before returning, retreat- 
ing on Littleton Island, where they know there is a depot of supplies, 
steamer or no steamer en route. The expeditionary boats and sledges 
to start north from the first ice-barrier that prevents the advance of the 
ship, provided it is not to the southward of Cape York. Upon the re- 
turn of the expeditionary boats, if the steamer is safe, the whole party 
to embark with their stores. If Greely has gone south to Littleton 
Island continue the search from there south. 

Cairns and records left by Greely should tell of their movements. 
Returned to Cape York, one of two courses lie open for Greely from 
Cape York, viz, to make the passage to Tessuissak or to the Danish set- 
tlements, or to look out for a whale-ship, as Buddington did in his re- 
treat from the " Polaris." If no information of Greely has been found up 
to this point, detach two boats with crews to research Melville Bay to 
Tessuissak, the ship to skirt the eastern edge of the western pack as it 
drifts to the southward, and keep a lookout for the whalers. By this 
means a complete search can be made with perfect safety in one season. 
The details of ship, crew, boats, provisions, expeditionary provisions, 
sledges, clothing, equipment, arms, &c, will be discussed under appro- 
priate heads. 

Q. How many men would you have left in the ship after you had 
made all your detachments of boats' crews ? — A.' I propose to start with 
ten officers and thirty men, making forty people. The schooner at 
Upernavik to transfer one boat with officers and equipment of sixty days* 
provisions to the steamer, the latter to go north and touch at Tessuis- 
sak to make inquiries and land twenty of the sixty days' supplies at that 
point. Then transport our supplementary boat, w T hich would work its 
way back to the schooner. We have thirty men and ten officers re- 
maining on board the ship. If the ice-barrier at Cape York prevents 
the steamer from going north at this season, start the two expeditionary 
whale-boats and sledges. The probabilities are we will be able to work 
to the northward, with good sledging beyond Cape York. We will then 
carry our whole shift's company of ten officers and thirty men as far as 
Littleton Island. Land ninety days' supplies for all hands, the whole 
ship's company of forty men ; detach one officer with a short boat's 
crew, say six men, and two boats fully equipped with tents, &c, to 
stay there. That officer to stay and amuse himself and gather provis- 
ions as well as he can during the absence of the steamer. The steamer 
proceeds then with nine officers and twenty four men, and goes as far 
north of Littleton Island, towards Fort Conger, as she can with safety, 






PROCEEDINGS. 93 

keeping the two expeditionary boats and sledges, with two officers and 
their crews, in readiness. That will detail two officers and seven men, 
at least, for each boat's crew. In the month of June it is doubtful if 
seven men can haul a whale-boat without going twice over the track, 
but that we can discuss afterwards. That will leave seven officers 
aboard the ship and ten men. Now, we have ten men with seven offi- 
cers remaining in the ship, the medical officer, the engineer, and the 
paymaster to be in charge of all the stores aud supplies. 

Q. Would that be enough to work the ship ! — A. I think so. They 
would have to come down to hard work. I think they would have less 
labor than the men who were sledging. The steamer to proceed with 
the expeditionary parties in readiness to launch out. If the steamer 
can go all the way to Fort Conger, of course no expeditionary sledges 
and boats are started. But when they come to the point where they 
can go no farther, start the boats and sledges, with sixty days' provis- 
ions, to go through to Fort Conger; that is their duty, it makes no 
difference to them what becomes of the steamer. 

By Captain Greer : 

Q. Would you leave any shelter for the party at Littleton Island ? — 
A. Yes, sir; laud tents with them. [Reading.] The ship to be of wood, 
cased with iron for forty feet abaft the stem. No keel to project below 
doubling, except false keel. The doubling to commence at the keel, 
12 inches thick or depth of present keel, and to terminate at spar 
deck 6 inches thick. A light deck to cover the ship in, fore and aft, 
to be as light as possible and give sufficient strength to work ship from 
it, made in form of "turtle-back" frames, the deck beams of this struc- 
ture to be of "T" iron. This will billet every man above deck and give 
large stowage for coal and stores below. The wood ends of the doub- 
lings should terminate well out to the end of the stem piece and should 
entirely encase the fore-foot, which in turn should be clamped with iron. 
The inside of the light deck or house should be lined with felt and cov- 
ered withlight tongued and-grooved three-quarter inch pine. The fore- 
peak should be built in solid, and three water-tight bulk-heads should 
be fitted water-tight against the inner skin and frames, to prevent the 
water passing by the frames where the bulk-heads are, and the timber- 
ing spaces should be filled in with half-stuff from the floor to spar-deck. 
This can be done by pouring it in from above in wake of the bulk- 
heads. These were weak points in the M Polaris " and "Jeannette." The 
fore-foot of both carried away, and the keel was pushed right out of the 
" Jeannette." All water-tight bulk-heads leak by the frames in wooden 
ships. Rig, brigantine or schoouer, compound engines, and boilers to 
be in thorough repair, and new boilers if necessary. A steam-pump in 
each compartment, with steam supplied from main boilers, an auxiliary 
boiler and hoisting engine on deck, rigged to hoist cargo, work main- 
deck pumps or hand-pumps, a pair being placed in each compartment, 
this being an economical arrangement for long and serious leaks and 
pumpiug. This boiler to heat apartments and radiators to condense 
the drinking water for ship's use. The propeller to be hoisting, if pos- 
sible, and to be of Mahaffie-steel ; have one spare propeller. The rudder 
to ship outside of the dead wood, like a G-alliott, to be as small as possi- 
ble to do its work, and to turn on a continuous bulb beam or gudgeon, 
so as to be readily raised or lowered and to be in action at any draught of 
water from a foot all the way down to its seat. Rudder aud propeller 
to be raised by sheaves in main-boom. Cabin and ward room to con- 
tain ten apartments, occupying 35 feet of after part of ship, and a berth 



94 PROCEEDINGS. 

for each man of the crew forward, with an air space 3 feet wide sur- 
rounding the men's apartment, their berths opening on a common pas- 
sage in the center. All officers to mess together to economize space ; 
all men require the same amount of healthful breathing space. There 
should be steam pipes throughout the ship for extinguishing fire. 

Q. Where could such a ship be obtained ? — A. The " Tigress," a New- 
foundland sealer, was a much better ship than the " Jeannette." Fitted 
and stored as I describe, her draught would be about 12 feet if she is 
of 400 tons burthen. She should go not less than G knots an hour. 
I would not have a ship too fast for ice work, because if you are not 
careful you will stave in her bows and knock her all to pieces. If the 
boiler and engines were in a ship I would not alter them to suit this de- 
sign. All this other work, excepting the moving of the engine, could 
be done any time. 

Q. How much battering and ramming would such a ship as that be 
able to endure. I mean what effective work \ — A. If you meet ice & 
inches thick and the floe extends half a mile, put that ship at full tilt, 
say 7 miles an hour, and strike all standing ; the blow would not hurt her. 
Back her off and try two or three times, and you might split that floe, 
and perhaps not, but the chances are you would split it, without endan- 
gering the ship much. In regard to plating the ship's bows — the " Jean- 
nette" was plated with flat-iron bars, 4 inches wide and three-quarters 
of an inch thick. That was not good. They were placed apart prob- 
ably two or three inches and the ice cut through so that the planking 
was cut more than half way. The iron plates should come close to- 
gether. 

By Lieutenant-Commander McCalla : 

Q. What period elapsed from the time you entered the ice-pack in the 
" Jeannette" until you were fairly beset? — A. About four days. 

Q. Did you have any scurvy at all during that expedition ? — A. There 
was one case that most of us supposed was scurvy — Alexis, the Indian; 
that is, he had all the symptoms of it and the doctor applied the remedies 
he would in case of scurvy. Doctor Ambler said it was not scurvy, but 
it seemed to be a well defined case. 

Q. You used distilled water, I believe? — A. Yes, sir; altogether. 

Q. Was there any daily distribution of stimulants ? — A. No, sir. We 
had lime-juice daily. [Resuming his statement.] Tents, if used, should 
be of blue " dungaree," double at the bottom and for 18 inches up, with 
a floor space of 6 by 10 feet to accommodate seven persons. The peak 
of the tent and bags that receive the tent-poles to be well re-enforced.. 
The tent to be set with four poles, but to prevent racking by too great 
a strain, guy ropes and a ridge-pole should be used. The sleeping-bags- 
should be made of deer-skin with the fur turned in. There should be an 
old buck-skin for the bottom of the bag next the ice, and a light fawn- 
skin for the top. Each man should be measured for his bag so that it 
will fit. In form it should be two frustums of cones, joined at the 
shoulders with elliptic ends at head and foot, about 8 by 12 inches 
in diameter of axes. It should be slit across at the shoulder, with 
a flap to cover the face, or slit from the face far enough down to get 
in, and then fastened with toggles. A good bag should tiot exceed 
in weight thirteen pounds. The cooking stove should be made of light 
galvanized iron. Those designed for the Jeannette were of simple form 
and efficient, but were too large and heavy. The kettle of light planished 
copper, should hold about twelve pints, with upper dish or pan to hold 
half that quantity. The drinking cups should be of light planished cop- 






PROCEEDINGS. 95 

per, tinned inside, frustums of cones, so as to fit within each other without J 
beads or wires and to hold an exact pint, to be used as a measure. The 
bottom of the kettle should be concave so as to hold the heat. An apron 
within the body of the stove to make the heat hug the kettle. A cir- 
cular wick of asbestos with argand burner should be fitted, and proper 
attention paid to ventilation of lamp, to insure perfect combustion. 
Light copper pans, tinned inside, not to exceed a quart capacity, and to 
set inside each other, to be used as mess-pans. 

The cooking gear of the " Jeannette" party was larger and heavier | 
than necessary. Tea, sugar, and salt should be carried in small bags, 
and all the cooking gear should stow inside of the fire pot and kettle, 
the lid to fasten down with hooks, the whole carried by a bail. There 
should be one large spoon for each man in the mess. ' No mess-box I 
is necessary. Luxuries add to weight. All the small bags should 
be stowed inside of one large rubber bag 12 inches in diameter by 
30 inches long, the top to lace in as near water-tight as possible to 
keep the clothing dry. One pair of deer-skin stockings should be 
stowed in each sleeping-bag, to put on when turning in to keep the feet 
warm. A rubber blanket to cover the floor of the tent to keep the bags 
dry should be supplied each boat, with eyelets around the edge, to pass 
a lacing so as to keep the sleeping-bags dry while in the boat. The 
boat-box should be supplied with saw, hammer, nails, snow-knives, &c. 
Boats should have small dry-boat compasses, sextant, and tables, two 
breakers for water and alcohol to each boat. Pocket chronometer for 
each boat and a couple of watches, and a number of small pieces of 
cedar plank for patching the boat. Each boat, in addition to painter 
and drag rope, to have 25 fathoms of light strong flax line, an iron 
ring, and canvas to make a parachute for a drag about 8 feet area 
and have a buoj' attached to float it. A stone can be used for an anchor. 
A mast-coat to peak the boat-cover at the mast and bows of boat. 

Clothing for travelling in summer time : Red flannel undershirt and 
drawers ; first class woolen socks, to come above the knees ; heavy 
cloth trousers, either fitting tight from knee down, or knee-breeches, 
so that the moccasin leg will come over it ; the breeches should not be 
fly-fronts ; they should button up squarely to keep out the cold, and 
should be kept up by a waist-belt not too wide; sheath-knife; mocca- 
sins should be oiled-tanned without hair — what is known as water 
boots; one canvas and six flannel or cloth inner soles, stitched down 
the center for convenience in drying, are necessary to keep feet away 
from the ice. One pair blanket foot-nips ; hay is sometimes used, but 
not always obtainable. A pair of rubber sandals with toe and heel 
guards and strap across the instep will save the soles of moccasins in 
summer travel. The sandals should have a large diamond mesh or 
rough surface much after the manner of rubber door mats. A blue 
flannel overshirt, with neck handkerchief. A fur cap, with ear-laps and 
large visor to protect face and eyes. A short, close-fitting cloth and 
lined llammy, coming to the hips, with two breast pockets and mittens, 
complete the costume. A fur jacket and knee trousers for camp- 
ing at night are a good thing to prevent taking cold ; a sleeping bag, 
winter or summer ; a tent in winter, but it may be dispensed with in 
summer, using boat cover aud sail for shelter. In a small rubber bag 
carry one pair of socks, one pair of foot- nips, one undershirt, one pair 
of drawers, patches and sewing material. One jacket and trousers are 
to be carried in the boat for general service. 

By Lieutenant-Commander McCalla : 
Q. On the retreat from the "Jeannette" could you have done without 



96 PROCEEDINGS. 

tents ! — A. Yes, sir ; but we could not have been comfortable without 
them. In the day-time they shaded our eyes from the sun. We had 
white tents and the glare on the eyes was painful. The men would turn 
in with no trouble about their eyes, but looking at the top of the tent 
their eyes would become inflamed. 

Q. What kind of guard for the eyes did you find most useful? — A. 
Goggles made of horse-hair, plaited in about one-sixteenth inch meshes. 
[Resuming his statement.] As detached parties are contemplated, a 
greater number of officers and crew are required, say ten officers, i. e., 
commanding officer, live lieutenants, surgeon, paymaster, engineer, and 
ice pilot. Mechanics, such as carpenters, boat-builders, smiths, and 
machinists should be numerous among the crew. 

Boats should be all American whale-boats, New London or New Bed- 
ford make, 26 feet long — the two expeditionary boats being lighter — all 
fitted with bevel side pieces, fastened to sides of keel so as to give bear- 
ing to the runner, 6 inches wide, and shod with one-eighth inch iron, 
two bilge keels or short runners fitted on the bilges to keep the boat 
upright in transporting it without the sledge, and to rest the boat on 
when set on the sledge for transportation. Smooth built, as they are 
easily repaired if stove in. Sockets and stanchions fitted to inside of 
rail, and cover fitted to make high weather cloths or half-decked boat. 
Lug sail with boom, so as to be able to shore it out to prevent danger 
from jibing. In addition to usual equipment each boat should have 
two light ice-axes and picks combined, and two ice-chisels on light poles. 
The boats should be painted black and sails dyed black. 

Provisions : In addition to the usual canned provisions, many of which 
are poisonous and unpleasant to the taste, there should be fresh roast 
meats and poultry of all kinds roasted in the usual manner and closely 
packed in half or quarter casks that had been previously charred within, 
and filled up with hot, sweet lard. This would keep the meat sweet and 
leave the lard for cooking purposes. Fresh potatoes, fried and put 
down in the same manner; potatoes boiled with the jackets on, under- 
done, and covered with fluid gelatine would keep ; dessicated potatoes 
are worthless. They were not served in either Arctic ship in which I 
sailed. Bacon, although salt, should enter more largely into the dietary 
than I have seen heretofore. Fresh eggs boiled and scalded with hot 
lard, as in case of the roasts, will keep indefinitely. All the casks should 
be fitted with an air space, so as to insure their floating in case they 
should get overboard, and an iron ring should be in both heads of these 
casks to facilitate handling in case of emergency. No package to ex- 
ceed one hundred pounds, and fifty pounds might be better. 

Expeditionary provisions should consist of pemmican, hard bread, tea, 
sugar, and alcohol for fuel. One pound of pemmican and a half pound 
of bread (six hard biscuits), one-quarter ounce of tea, and one ounce of 
sugar per day being ample for a man. With a proper cooking-stove 
one-half pint of alcohol will produce ten pints of boiling water from 
summer snow. All pemmican should be put in tin cylinders and then 
in light wooden casks, so as to float them. The packages are heavier 
and bulkier for the weight of food, but then we lose none in transpor- 
tation, either by spoiling, by being pierced, or in sinking when dumped 
overboard. Bread in India-rubber bags. Ship's bread, barreled. 

By Captain Davis : 
Q. Is dried fish a suitable food for use of sledging parties % — A. We 
had none except for dog food, but I think it would be very good. [Re- 
suming his statement.] Arms should cousist of rifles and shot-guns, 



PROCEEDINGS. 97 

all of each kind, of the same make and caliber. In the u Jeannette" all 
magazine-guns got out of order. The only gun that stood the test un- 
der all conditions was the Remington breech-loader, navy pattern, and 
for accuracy of fire was true enough. For shot-guns get the best qual- 
ity hard -finished paper cartridges, with no shot heavier than duck- 
shot. Have a good assortment of small shot. Get good guns with 
strong stocks for rough usage. For killing walrus and bear, explosive 
bullets are the only certain means ; unless struck in a very vital part a 
bear or walrus will get away with half a dozen rifle-balls. Have plenty 
of ammunition to encourage hunting among the crew, as it brings in 
some game and gives healthful exercise. 

Dogs for long and continued labor, such as is before the present re- 
lief party, are not effective. They eat half as much as a man and do 
only one-eighth his work. Their feet give out in about ten days. In 
Siberia a dog was fed four pounds of fish daily and broke down under 
it. Their load was about forty pounds and they could carry but ten 
days' supply of food alone. A man can haul food for ninety days. For 
quick, light work, with numerous depots of supplies, dogs in the hands 
of skillful dog-drivers can do good work. White men haven't got the 
patience to drive dogs. When game is plentiful dogs can be worked to 
advantage, but a ship could not carry stores enough to keep a pack of 
forty dogs in working condition for any length of time. One good team 
of nine or eleven large dogs might be used experimentally, and if not 
efficient could be turned adrift or destroyed. 

Sledges to be built both for boats and provisions, twelve and sixteen 
feet long, with double bow-runners, and bow-strung girder to receive 
the cross-pieces. The vertical posts extending from bow to bow with- 
out break. The deck or floor girders to rest on cleats riveted onto posts, 
the whole tied in by iron tie-rod, and the runners for boat sledges five 
inches wide and shod with iron, the edges of shoes are to be turned 
down three-sixteenths of an inch to cut in and prevent the side-slide of 
the sledge, which is most destructive. The boat sledges to have a dip 
or reverse curve in the upper bow to accommodate the bilge of the 
boat. All lashings to be made of white flax small-stuff. The boats to 
be shored out where the holding-down lashings come. 

By Captain Davis : 

Q. In your judgment, how much time might be consumed by the 
boat expeditions in reaching Lady Franklin Bay and returning to the 
ship, provided a start was made from about Cape Sabine in the month 
of August ! — A. I think it could be donejin about forty days, travelling 
light. With water to manage the boat, less than forty. To sledge it 
without boats, in thirty. 

Q. What progress, with properly equipped boats and sledges, do you 
think could have been made by Captain Markham, north from the po- 
sition of the " Alert' 1 ? — A. They hauled their boats and sledges and 
made a mile and a half or two miles a day, and that was about our 
travelling. We had eight pieces of baggage and were travelling in 
the spring. When we started the snow was very heavy and soft. In 
the summer we could transfer all our baggage oy going over the floe 
five times. We at first passed over the floe thirteen times ; we trav- 
elled thirteen miles in making one ; and we came down afterwards to 
as low as five trips. 

Q. At what time do you think the expedition should leave the United 
States ?— A. Not later than the first of May. The whalers get up off 
Cape York early in June. 



98 PROCEEDINGS. 

Q. Do you believe in any system of rewards for the officers or crew 
of the expedition ! — A. No, sir. 

By Captain Greer : 

Q. Do you think it advisable to employ an ice-master? — A. Yes, sir; 
I think the services of an ice- master would add essentially to the effi- 
ciency of the expedition. I have recommended an ice-master because 
I thought it was well to have him, and also a paymaster to have con- 
trol of the stores and supplies. 

[Resuming his statement.] 

Clothing for winter travel : Entire suit of flannel clothing next to the 
skin. Light skin-trousers and shirt, with hair next to the undercloth- 
ing ; deer-skin stockings, with hair next to the woolen-stockings ; moc- 
casins of deer-skin to come to the hip; a pair of loose wide-legged 
knee-breeches of hair, made to put on while sledging, or not travelling 
on foot, and a long cooJy-tang of deer-skin, with hood to cover the 
head ; a tight skull-cap of fur covering the head, ears, neck, and chin, 
leaving a very small portion of the face from the eyes to the lower lip 
exposed ; a small patch of fur, with elastic band, is sometimes used to 
cover the nose — this can readily be removed, and the ice knocked off — the 
nose is usually frosted, and a scab forms which protects it from further 
freezing; a breast-guard of fur, with a chiu-piece, can be hauled up to 
cover the chin and keep the cold out of the necessary slits in the cloth- 
ing at the neck ; fur mittens should be doubled so as to turn inside out, 
and thus permit the inside far to dry ; woolen underclothing next the 
skin is necessary to take up the moisture from the body. Skin-cloth- 
ing being impervious to air keeps the moisture of the body in, which 
soon wets the skin-clothing, and it in turn freezes. Canvas and woolen 
inner-soles or hay stuffing must be used in moccasins. For foot travel 
the cooly-tang and knee-breeches will have to be removed, as they 
impede travel. A man gets too warm, wets his clothing with perspira- 
tion, and his clothing freezes on his body. 

The Board then adjourned to meet to-morrow at 11 a. m. 



Room 88, Navy Department Building, 

Washington, D. C, January 9, 1884. 

The Board met pursuant to adjournment ; all the members present. 

A letter was read from Dr. F. E. Coulter, who offers to accompany 
the proposed expedition. (Abs. Mis. Cor., No. 31.) 

After a long consideration of the various details of the expedition the 
Board adjourned to meet to-morrow at 11 a. m. 



Boom 88, Navy Department Building, 

Washington, D. C, January 10, 1884. 

The Board met pursuant to adjournment; all the members present. 

The Recorder laid before the Board a copy of a letter from Sir Edward 
Thornton, Minister Plenipotentiary from Great Britain, in relation to the 
deposit of stores at Polaris Bay. (Exhibit H.) 

Additional statement of Lieut. Robert M. Berry, United States 
Navy : 
The pemmicau on the "Rodgers" was put up in tins of twenty and 



PROCEEDINGS. 99 

forty pounds. We found great difficulty in serving this out in cold 
weather, owing to the fact that when we attempted to cut it up for ra- 
tions it broke into fine pieces and some portions were lost. I would 
recommend that it be packed in cans in one-pound pieces in the same 
manner that laundry soap is packed. 

Mr. G. C. Goss, representing the firm of Goss, Sawyer & Packard, 
ship-builders, of Bath, Me., appeared before the Board and made the 
following statement : 

We propose to build one or two vessels similar to those we build for 
the Arctic whale-fishery, which, under all circumstances, have proved 
themselves able and strong and have done their work well ; to be bark- 
rigged, with steam power sufficient to propel them ten knots, and con- 
suming seven tons of coal a day ; with sail power they would go twelve 
knots. They work like pilot-boats under canvas. They should have 
a two-bladed propeller and an extra propeller to take along in case they 
break one. We propose to build them of extra strength, and brace the 
bilges so that it would be an impossibility to crush them. They would 
be of about five hundred tons, gross register, with freight capacity of 
six hundred tons, besides the accommodation for a crew of thirty-five 
men. We could have them built by the 1st of May if arrangements 
were completed so that we could commence work on the 1st of February, 
and would guarantee that, with bonds to the satisfaction of the Gov- 
ernment. 

By Captain Davis : 

Q. Your plan does not contemplate a lifting propeller? — A. Not to 
hoist up; but a two-bladed propeller. 

Q. Has not the advantage of a tricing propeller been fully demon- 
strated by the whalers ? — A. They are very complicated, and, I think, 
impracticable in the ice. We built one in San Francisco, and found it 
did not work. i 

Q. Please state, approximately, the value of such a ship. — A. I should 
say, approximately, $100,000. We propose to put in heavier machinery* » 

Q. What are the resources of your firm for prompt and efficient 
work? — A. We have built one hundred and eighty vessels; we have 
the machinery and timber on hand constantly, and if any one wants 
dispatch he generally comes to us. We hold the same relation to 
wooden- ship building that John Eoach does to iron-ship building. 

The Board then adjourned to meet to-morrow at 11 a. m. 



Room 88, Navy Department Building, 

Washington, D. C, January 11, 1884. 

The Board met pursuant to adjournment ; all the members present. 

A letter from S. K. Parson, general agent of the Hudson's Bay Com- 
pany at Montreal, Canada, in response to a request of the Board, was 
received and read. (Abs. Mis. Cor., No. 32.) 

The Recorder submitted a letter from William Macnaughtan's Sons, 
in reply to a communication from the Board of the 8th instant. (Abs. 
Mis. Cor., No. 33.) 

The Recorder was directed to telegraph the above firm, asking esti- 
mates for dressed reindeer skins with hair on. 

General Hazen submitted a letter, referred to the Board by the Navy 
Department, from Frank Reynolds, dated Boston, January 8, 1881, in 
relation to the building of a vessel for the expedition. (Exhibit I.) 



100 PROCEEDINGS. » 

CTpOB the suggestion of the Recorder, the President of the Board was 
directed to request the Secretary of War to furnish copies of all instruc- 
tions and orders to Lieutenant Greely regarding the establishment and 
maintenance of the United States signal station at Lady Franklin Bay; 
also copies of all reports or communications to the Chief Signal Officer 
of the Army from Lieutenant Greely which may relate to his future 
movements or which may contain suggestions as to his relief. 

General Hazen submitted a communication from the Chief Clerk of 
the War Department, dated the 10th instant, relative to the request of 
the Board respecting the printing of its daily proceedings. (Abs. Mis. 
€or., No. 34.) 

In regard to the matter of having a chart or map prepared to accom- 
pany the proceedings, the President of the Board was directed to ad- 
dress the Secretary of the Navy a request that the Hydrographer of the 
Navy Department be instructed to lend his assistance in the prepara- 
tion of a skeleton map, which it is designed shall accompauy the report 
of the Board. 

The Board at 12.30 p. m. took a recess until 2 o'clock. 

Upon re-assembling, the room was cleared and a general discussion en- 
sued upon the various subjects the Board have had under consideration, 
and at 3 o'clock p. m. the Board adjourned to meet at 11 a. m. to mor- 
row. 



Boom 88, Navy Department Building, 

Washington, D. C, January 12, 1884:. 

The Board met pursuant to adjournment; all the members present. 

A letter from William Macnaughtan's Sons, in response to a telegram 
from the Board of the 11th instant, was received and read. (Abs. Mis. 
Cor., No. 35.) 

The Board then took a recess until 1 o'clock. 

Upon re-assembling, the room was cleared and an informal discussion 
took place relative to transportation, control, and conduct, and the per- 
sonnel of the expedition. 

At 3.30 p. m. the Board adjourned to meet on the 11th instant at 11 
a. in. 



Boom 88, Navy Department Building, 

Washington, Li. (7., January 14, 1884. 

The Board met pursuant to adjournment; all the members present. 

The Board, by invitation, met iu consultation the Secretaries of War 
and the Navy in the conference room of the War Department, and dis- 
cussed the preliminary recommendations heretofore made. 

Upon re-assembling, General Hazen submitted a letter from Surgeon- 
General Wales, United States Navy, transmitting a paper entitled " Sani- 
tary Suggestions for the Guidance of Arctic Expeditions. " (Exhibit K;) 

By reference from the War Department, the Recorder read a com- 
munication from G. C. Goss, of the firm of Goss, Sawyer & Packard, 
Bath, Me., offering to build a steamer for Arctic service. (Exhibit L.) 

Lieut. P. H. Ray, United States Army, being present, was recalled 
and interrogated, as follows: 

By Captain Davis : 
Question. In this relief expedition to be sent to Lieutenant Greely and 
his party let us assume that sledging becomes necessary — what should 



PROCEEDINGS. 101 

be the composition of a party sent from Cape Sabine for Greely's re- 
lief? — Answer. Not to exceed five men besides the officer commanding. 
The length of time it would take to procure dogs at Pembina or Macki- 
naw I could not state positively, but not more than fifteen or twenty 
days. A skin or canvas boat, which would answer all purposes, should 
be carried along. It could be constructed in New York. 

By General Hazen : 

Q. Do you think such a boat would be as good as those used and con- 
structed by the natives? — A. Not as good, but good enough for the pur- 
pose. Any boat which can be handled easily would answer. 

Q. How many days could you subsist on one of these light expedi- 
tions? — A. With two persons besides myself and with eight dogs and 
one sled I could carry provisions for thirty days, without depending 
upon the country. 

Q. What do you think is the best outfit for such an expedition ? — A. 
It would depend altogether upon the time of the year you started out. 
If in the early spring or winter you would need one flat-top sled for car- 
rying the boat, and then two or three sleds for provisions and baggage. 

By Captain Davis: 

Q. What is your opinion of calf-skin as a substitute for deer-skin? — 
A. 1 would about as soon have it for ordinary wear. With our people 
at Point Barrow we never used any fur clothing, except when travel- 
ling, or when the observers had to be in the observatory continuously. 
We did not consider it necessary in the ordinary work around the sta- 
tion; we all wore heavy woolen clothing and native boots. In summer 
we wore no native clothing at all. Light calf-skins from animals one 
or two months old, tanned as we tanned them, would make excellent 
clothing. 

Q. Suppose on the loth of July you were ordered to proceed from a 
ship at or near Cape Sabine to Lady Franklin Bay, your party equipped 
with boats and sleds ; what organization would you require in order to 
relieve and bring back Lieutenant Greely and party, supposing it ro 
consist of twenty -five persons, and the distance to be travelled 225 
miles ? — A. There are so many possibilities and contingencies covered 
by that question that it is impossible for me to answer it. There are so 
many questions that I cannot possibly answer now, and which cannot 
be answered by any man until he comes up to the ice. If, however, I 
was at Cape Sabine and found any open leads of water I would take a 
sufficient number of boats to bring his party back. I should take at 
least, four whale-boats, built lighter than the ordinary whale-boat, with a 
heavy hardwood garboard strake, with a little deeper keel than is usual, 
two heavy strips of hardwood about 18 inches from the keel on' each 
side running fore and aft. Keel and bilge keels to be shod with steel. 
A boat of this character could be run over the large ice-floes with facil- 
ity. I should allow four men to each of these boats. I believe that 
number of good, strong men could handle them. I do not think it ad- 
visable at that season of the year to incumber the boats with sleds, dogs, 
and the necessary dog food. If Lady Franklin Bay can be reached at 
all at that season, provided the ship cannot reach there, it will have 
to be reached by an outfit of that kind, and not by sledging. Four boats 
of the kind I describe would bring Lieutenant Greely and his party 
back. They could be manned on the trip up by four men each. 

Q. Do you prefer these boats to the oomidk ? — A. I would at that sea- 
son of the year, but early in the spring I would not. But at the season 
that a ship could reach Cape Sabine, and supposing she was prevented 



102 PROCEEDINGS. 

from going further, I believe the boat expedition to be the most practi- 
cable. A party intending to winter there should be provided with skin- 
boats and the necessary sleds. 

Q. Suppose the boat expedition fails, what method of procedure would 
you then recommend ? — A. That a party of one or two officers and five 
men be landed at or near Cape Sabine, or as far north as practicable, 
with one year's provisions for Lieutenant Greely's party, besides their 
own supplies. They would house themselves there for the winter. This 
party should be provided with four sleds and one canvas or skin boat. 
The sleds should have a carrying capacity of 1,500 pounds each. In the 
latter part of the winter I would send out a party and establish a cache 
about midway between the winter quarters and Lady Franklin Bay. I 
would place here twenty days' rations for thirty men and thirty-two 
dogs— say 1,800 pounds of carefully selected stores. Then as soon as 
the sun returned I would start north with the whole party, except one 
man left at the home station. I should take thirty days' supplies for 
thirty men and thirty -two dogs, and should push on with all possible 
speed until I reached Lieutenant Greely. After passing the cache pre- 
viously established, I should make a cache of provisions along the trail 
wherever I could do so with safety — that is, on the land where most con- 
venient. This would lighten the sled loads and leave a supply all along 
the home trail, and the sleds would be available for any disabled men 
there might be in the party. Only one light boat would be necessary, 
to be used in ferrying across cracks and leads, as I believe there is not 
much open water there at that season ; the sled carrying it would also 
transport at least 800 pounds of supplies. Natives, say two or three, 
should be taken to kill seal, if nothing else. It would be better if the 
party winter in the vicinity of the natives. Walrus hide is excellent 
food for dogs, and I would prefer it to anything else. 

A communication signed by Robert Laidlaw, E. Heimbacher, and 
E. S. Eveleigh, photographers, received by reference from the Navy 
Department, was read. (Abs. Mis. Cor., No. 36.) 

The room was then cleared, and the Board resumed discussion of the 
matter under consideration, and directed the Recorder to submit at the 
next meeting a draft of a report for the consideration of the Board. 

At 4 p. m. the Board adjourned to meet at the usual hour on the 16th 
instant. 



Room 88, Navy Department Building, 

Washington, D. C, January 16, 1884. 

The Board met pursuant to adjournment ; all the members present. 

A letter from F. B. J. Rust, in response to request of the Board of the 
7th instant, was submitted and read. (Abs. Mis. Cor., No. 37.) 

A communication from L. Y. Coggins, for Otis Young, addressed to 
Hon. W. P. Frye, and by him referred to the Navy Department, was 
laid before the Board and read. (Abs. Mis. Cor., No. 38.) 

In response to the request of the Board, of the 11th instant, to the 
Secretary of War, General Hazen submitted certified copies of all in- 
structions and orders to Lieutenant Greely relative to the establishment 
and maintenance of a Signal Service station at Lady Franklin Bay, to- 
gether with all reports and suggestions from Lieutenant Greely to the 
Chief Signal Officer iu regard to future movements and plans for his 
relief. (Exhibit M.) 

A letter from the Secretary of War, dated January 15, 1884, trans- 



PROCEEDINGS. 103 

mitting for the information of the Board, copies of letters dated the 11th 
and 12th instants from the State Department, inclosing copies of dis- 
patches from United States Minister to Great Britain, was received and 
read. (Abs. Mis. Cor., No. 39.) 

A communication addressed to the Board by J. W. Norman was re- 
ceived and read. (Abs. Mis. Cor., No. 40.) 

Oapt. W. H. Clapp, United States Army, being present, was re- 
quested by the Board to furnish a memorandum relative to the construc- 
tion of sleds and such other information as might be useful to the pro- 
posed expedition. 

The Board, at 12.45 p. in., took a recess till 2 o'clock. 

Upon re-assembling, the Recorder submitted a rough draft of report 
prepared by him in regard to the transportation, equipment, control, 
conduct, and personnel of the proposed expedition, and, after some time 
spent in discussion, the Board adjourned to meet at 11 a. m. to-morrow. 



Room 88, Navy Department Building, 

Washington, D. C, January 17, 1884. 

The Board met pursuant to adjournment; all the members present. 

A communication from Capt. W. H. Clapp, United States Army, de- 
tailing the construction of sleds, tents, and sleeping-bags for Arctic serv- 
ice, was received and read. (Exhibit §".) 

Captain 'Clapp being present was further requested to submit a plan 
or drawing of the sled furnished to Lieutenant Garlington for use on 
the Proteus expedition. 

The room was then cleared, and, after discussion of certain recommen- 
dations that should be embraced in the final report, the Board adjourned 
to meet at 11 a. in., on the 19th instant. 



Room 88, Nayy Department Building, 

Washington, D. C, January 19, 1884. 

The Board met pursuant to adjournment ; all the members present. 

Copies of correspondence between the Treasury Department and Capt. 
C. L. Hooper, of the United States Revenue Marine, respecting the 
Greely expedition, was, upon reference to the Board by the Secretary of 
the Navy, submitted and read. (Exhibit O.) 

General Hazen submitted a letter from E. M. Philibaum, which was 
read. (Abs. Mis. Cor., No. 41.) 

General Hazen submitted copies of correspondence between the State 
Department and the United States consul at Saint John's, N. F., trans- 
mitted to the Board by letters of the 18th instant from the Secretary of 
War. (Abs. Mis. Cor., No. 42.) 

The Recorder then submitted for consideration an amended draft of 
a report, which, after discussion and further amendment, was adopted 
and signed. 

General Hazen submitted a draft of a recommendation to accompany 
the report of the Board, to be signed by himself and Captain Davis. 

After a prolonged discussion it was arranged that at the next session 
of the Board, the naval members thereof should submit their views 
upon the proposition to include an Army detachment in the personnel 
of the relief- ships. 

The Board then adjourned to meet to-morrow at 11 a. m. 



104 proceedings. 

Room 88, Navy Department Building, 

Washington, D. C., January 21, 1884. 

The Board met pursuant to adjournment ; all the members present. 

Captain Davis submitted the following proposition : 

u That the recommendation which was made at the last meeting and 
appended to the report of the Board, signed by General Hazen and 
Captain Davis, be withdrawn, and that those who propose to recommend 
the addition of an Army detachment to the complement of the relief- 
ships file a paper setting forth their views upon the subject, and simul- 
taneously, those who dissent from this proposition, to file a paper setting 
forth their reasons for dissenting." 

This was put to vote and lost 

Lieutenant-Commander McCalla then submitted the following prop- 
osition, which was agreed to : 

11 It having been proposed in the Board that a detachment of one of- 
ficer and five enlisted men from the Army shall be placed on board each 
ship, additional to the complement herein recommended, the Board finds 
itself unable to agree upon this point, its members being equally divided ; 
and it has therefore been decided to append to the report separate state- 
ments, embodying the views of the members respectively, supporting 
and dissenting from this proposition." 

The Board then adjourned to meet to-morrow at 11 a. m. 



Koom 88, Navy Department Building, 

Washington, D. C, January 22, 1884. 

The Board met pursuant to adjournment; all the members present. 

The Recorder submitted a communication, received from Mr. George 
Kennan, proposing to substitute for his remarks made to the Board on 
the 4th instant, copy of a letter dated June 16, 1882, addressed by him to 
Lieutenant Greely. 

The Board, after deliberation, declined to make the substitution pro- 
posed, but directed that a copy of the letter referred to be appended to 
the record. (Exhibit P.) 

General Hazen submitted letter from the Navy Department calling 
attention to communications heretofore referred to the Board by that 
Department without reference indorsements. (Abs. Mis. Cor., No. 43.) 

The Recorder submitted and read a letter from Mr. Hugh M. Suther- 
land. (Abs. Mis. Cor., No. 44.) Also a communication from Mr. Frank 
Reynolds, dated Washington, D. C, January 22, 1884, asserting his 
ability to construct proper vessels within 90 days from date of receipt 
of the order for same. (Exhibit I.) 

General Hazen, on behalf of himself and Captain Davis, and Captain 
Greer, for himself and Lieutenant-Commander McCalla, submitted in 
writing their views, respectively, upon the employment of an Army de- 
tachment as a part of the complement of relief- ships. 

The papers were ordered to be attached to the report of the Board. 

There being no further business before the Board requiring present 
attention, it adjourned to meet at the call of the President. 



procee dings. 105 

Room 88, Navy Department Building, 

Washington, D. C, February 4, 1884. 

The Board, pursuant to the call of the President, met at 12 o'clock m ; 
all the members present. 

The Recorder submitted and read the following communications, re- 
ceived since the last meeting of the Board, viz : 

Letter from William Gibson, United States vice-consul at Glasgow, 
Scotland, dated January 11, 1884, with inclosures. (Abs. Mis. Cor. 
No. 45.) Also letter from the Secretary of War, dated January 22, 
1884. (Abs. Mis. Cor., No. 46.) Also letter from Capt. W. H. Clapp, 
United States Army, dated January 22, 1884. (Exhibit N.) Also letter 
from William Macnaughtan's Sons, dated January 23, 1884 (Abs. 
Mis. Cor., No. 47.) Also letter from H. Clay, dated January 25, 1884, 
referred by Hon. Albert S Willis, of Kentucky, to General Hazen, and 
by him to the Board. (Abs. Mis. Cor., No. 48.) Also letter from Dr. 
T. H. Carroll, dated January 26, 1884. (Abs. Mis. Cor., No. 49.) Also 
letter from J. W. Norman, dated January 28, 1884. (Exhibit S.) 
Also letter from William Macnaughtan's Sons, dated January 29, 1884, 
inclosing copies of correspondence had with the Hudson's Bay Company. 
(Exhibit T.) And letter from Navy Department, dated January 29, 
1884, with inciosure. (Abs. Mis. Cor., No. 50.) 

The Board, at 1 p. m., adjourned to meet subject to the call of the 
President. 



Room 88, Navy Department Building, 

Washington, D C, February 21, 1884. 

The Board met at 2 p. m., pursuant to the call of the President ; all 
the members present except Lieutenant-Commander McCalla. 

General Hazen submitted to the Board a communication from the 
Navy Department transmitting copy of a letter from Capt. Sir George 
S. Nares, R. N., to our minister at London, together with a copy of a 
letter addressed to the President of the Greely Relief Board, signed by 
Captains Nares and Markham, R. N., and Major H. W. Feilden, H. B. 
M. A., containing suggestions from these officers regarding the conduct 
and equipment of the relief expedition. (Exhibit V.) 

General Hazen also submitted two communications addressed to him- 
self dated February 2, 1884, from Hon. Thomas N. Molloy, United States 
consul, Saint John's, Newfoundland, regarding the purchase of a steamer 
and the procurement of certain supplies for the proposed relief expedi- 
tion. (Exhibit W.) 

The Recorder submitted and read a letter from the Commissary Gen- 
eral of Subsistence, transmitting list of subsistence stores furnished to 
Lieut. P. H. Ray, U. S. A., for use of the Point Barrow expedition, and 
also a list of similar supplies furnished Lieutenant Greely in charge of 
the expedition to Lady Franklin Bay. (Exhibit Q.) 

The Recorder also submitted a letter from the secretary of the Hud- 
son's Bay Company, dated London, England, Januarv 29, 1884. (Abs. 
Mis. Cor., No. 51.) 

General Hazen submitted a communication from the Secretary of 
War, transmitting copy of letter from Maj. H. W. Feilden, H. B. M. A., 
dated Royal Artillery Barracks, Woolwich, January 9, 1884, offering his 
services to accompany the proposed expedition. (Exhibit E.) 
8 



106 PROCEEDINGS. 

The President of the Board was requested to prepare and transmit to 
the persons addressed, the following communications. 

[ Room, Board of Officers considering Relief Expedition to Lieutenant Greely and party, at Lady Frank- 
lin Bay.] 

Washington, D. C, February 21, 1884. 
Sir: I have the honor to inclose herewith, a communication addressed to Captains 
Nares and Markham, H. M. Navy, and Major Feilden, H. M. Army, acknowledging 
the receipt, through the Navy Department, of their very interesting and instructive 
report embodying suggestions for the organization of the relief expedition for Lieu- 
tenant Greelv's party, and to request that you will cause the same, with iuclosures 
herewith, to be torwarded. 

The Board beg« to suggest the propriety in transmitting this communication to its 
destination, of conveying to the gentlemen who have so kindly given us the benefit of 
their extended experience in the waters of Smith Sound, the thanks of the Depart- 
ment for the interest they have taken in this subject. 

I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

W. B. HAZEN, 
Chief Signal Officer, President of the Board. 
The Secretary of the Navy, 

Washington, D. C. 



[Room, Board of Officers considering Relief Expedition to Lieutenant Greely and party at Lady 

Franklin Bay. J 

Washington, D. C, February 21, 1884. 

Gentlemen : I am requested by the Board of officers considering the relief of the 
Lady Franklin Bay Expedition to acknowledge the receipt on the 16th instant, 
through the Hon. J. R. Lowell, Minister of the United States in London, England, of 
your joint report embodying valued suggestions for the conduct of the expedition, 
made in conformity to the request of the Board in its communication dated January 
5, 1884. 

I am also directed by the Board to express its gratification that Captain Nares should 
have deemed it advisable to secure an expression upon this subject from Major Feilden, 
H. M. Army, in relation to the conduct of this expedition. 

The communication referred to has been read, and will appear in the printed proceed- 
ings of the Board, and when published, copies will be sent you. 

The Board observes with satisfaction that its own recommendations in regard to the 
organization, equipment, and conduct of the proposed relief expedition, coincide so« 
nearly with the suggestions of officers possessing the extensive experience in Arctic 
navigation and exploration of Captains Nares and Markham and Major Feilden. 

I beg to inclose herewith three copies (proofs) of the report of the Board dated Janu- 
ary 22, 1*84. 

I have the honor to be, very respectfully, vour obedient servant, 

W. B. HAZEN, 
Chief Signal Officer, President of the Board. 

Capt. Sir G. S. Nares, Royal Navy ; Capt. A. H. Markham, R. M. S. Vernon ; Maj. 
H. W. Feilden, H. B. M. Army. 



[Room, Board of Officers considering Relief Expedition to Lieutenant Greely and party at Lady 

Franklin Bay.] 

Washlngton, D. C, February 21, 1884. 

Sir : I have the honor to inclose herewith for your information a copy of a letter 
addressed to the Honorable the Secretary of the Na\ r 3 r . inclosing to him a communica- 
tion acknowledging the receipt, through the Navy Department, of a report signed 
by Captains Nares and Markham, H. M. Navy, and Major Feilden, H. M. Army, em- 
bodying their suggestions, made upon invitation of the Board, as to the organiza- 
tion and conduct of a relief expedition to Lieutenant Greely and party. 
I have the honor to be, verv respectfullv, vour obedient servant, 

W. B. HAZEN, 
Chief Signal Officer, President of the Board, 
The Secretary of War, 

Washington, D. C, 



PROCEEDINGS. 107 

[Boom, Board of Officers considering Belief Expedition to Lieutenant Greely and party at Lady 

Franklin Bay.] 

Washington, D. C, February 21, 1884. 
Sir : On the 22d of January last, I had the honor to submit a report embodying the 
recommendations which the Board was directed to make by Executive Order dated De- 
cember 17, 1883, relative to the relief of Lieutenant Greely. 

In the letter transmitting that report allusions were made to the expected receipt 
of communications from certain officers of the British Navy, embodying their sugges- 
tions in regard to the proposed expedition, and also to the receipt of replies to the 
Board's inquiries concerning the availability of reindeer-skin clothing. 

The communications referred to have come to hand, and will be embraced in the 
proceedings of the Board, which are now being printed. So soon as this work can be 
accomplished the Recorder will deliver to the Secretaries of War and the Navy, re- 
spectively, copies of the printed proceedings of the Board, together with all exhibts 
referred to therein. 

I have also the honor to state that the duties imposed upon it by Executive Order 
dated December 17, 1883, have been completed, and the Board has adjourned. 
I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

W. B. HAZEN, 
Chief Signal Officer, President of the Board. 
The Secretary op War, 

Washington, D. C. 

(Same to the Secretary of the Navy. ) 

There being no further business for consideration the Board adjourned* 









APPENDIX. 



109 



APPE NDIX 



EXHIBIT A. 

General design for an expedition for the relief of Lieutenant Greely and party. 

1. As the proposed expedition is solely for the relief of Lieutenant Greely and his 
party in Lady Franklin Sound, and as the means employed to reach him must of 
nee ssity he of a nautical character, whether the vessel proceed direct to Lady Franklin 
Sound, or whether, in case she should he detained south of that point, it becomes 
necessary to resort to combined boat and sledge journeys over ice and open water, 
the officers and men of the expedition should be taken from the Naval Service. 

2. The relief expedition to consist of two (2) full powered steam sealers or whalers, 
each with a complement of thirty-one officers and men (see list) aud one Eskimo ; 
and a naval vessel without guns, and with a reduced crew, as a tender. 

As two of the steamers of the relief expedition may have to winter in the Arctic 
Tegions, the complement of each ship should be reduced to a minimum in order to 
give each man as much "air space" as possible, and at the same time to reduce the 
consumption of provisions ; and should consist only of useful men, accustomed to 
ship life 

3. The two sealers or whalers to be purchased at once and to be equipped and pre- 
pared for wintering in the Arctic region. Each of the two steamers to be supplied 
with clothing, provisions, and boats sufficient for two years for the entire relief expe- 
dition, and also for Lieutenant Greely's party; each steamer to be supplied with a 
house ready to be put up on shore, and with sledges and dogs. 

4. The two relief vessels to proceed in company to Saint John's, N. F., fill up with 
coal and fresh provisions; to proceed to Disco, and, if necessary, to Upernavik ; thence 
to Littleton Island and until they meet the ice pack in Smith Sound. 

5. The first depot to be established on Littleton Island (before proceeding north of 
that island) or in the immediate vicinity, as may seem best to the commander of the 
expedition, to consist of one of the houses, 50 tons of coal, 4 boats, and provisions 
and clothing for the entire party for one year. The house, coal, provisions and cloth- 
ing for this depot to be taken from steamer No. 1, i. e., that of the commander of the 
expedition ; an officer or a petty officer and two men to be left in charge of the depot. 

After leaving Littleton Island and reaching the ice-barrier the design of the expe- 
dition would be for the commander of the expedition in steamer No. 1 to take the 
first favorable opportunity to push to the northward, leaving steamer No. 2 to serve 
as a base to fall back upon in case of disaster, or for a second attempt to reach Lady 
Franklin Sound. 

6. Steamer No. 2 not to enter the ice pack, but to manceuver constantly to the 
southward of it, or to anchor in the immediate vicinity ; to be ready to land a sec- 
ond main depot of provisions, to consist of the same amount of material proposed for 
the first, in case it should become necessary to proceed north in the event of disaster 
to steamer No. 1. 

7. The problem of reaching Lady Franklin Sound in a steamer from Cape Sabine 
can only be solved by the exercise of skillful seamanship combined with good judg- 
ment ; unless Smith Sound should be found to be comparatively free from ice. 

8. Should the west side of Smith Sound be comparatively open, steamer No. 1 
should advance to the northward, forming small depots at Washington Irving Island, 
and in the vicinity of Cape Collinson and of Carl Ritter Bay. Steamer No. 2, after 
forming a small depot of supplies and landing two (2) boats at Cape Sabine, to pro- 
ceed as far north as Dobbin Bay ; beyond which point she should not advance unless 
the prolonged absence of steamer No. 1 should give rise to the apprehension of her 
loss. 

9. Should steamer No. 1 be crushed in the ice, steamer No. 2 before attempting to 
advance to the north should land her house, three (3) boats, and supplies for the whole 
party for one (1) year in the vicinity of Dobbin Bay. 

10. Should neither vessel be crushed, and should neither succeed in communicating 

111 



112 APPENDIX. 

with Lady Franklin Sound, one (1) should winter in Franklin Pierce Bay, and the 
other in the vicinity of Littleton Island. 

11. On the way north, the coast to be examined from Cape York to Cape Ohlsen on 
the east side, and from Cape Isabella to Cape Sabine on the west. Cairns should be 
erected containing notices of the movements and intentions of the relief expedition 
at Conical Rock, at Wostenholme Island, Cary Islands, Hakluyt Island, Cape Isa- 
bella, ami Cape Sabine. 

1*2. The whalers from Dundee and the sealers from Newfoundland to be requested 
to keep a lookout on the ice-floes for Lieutenant Greely's party. 

13. The Danish Government to be at once requested to instruct the authorities at 
Disco to prepare skin clothing and secure dogs tor the expediiion, and two (2) Eskimo 
hunters. 

14. The naval vessel or tender to go as far as Littleton Island or Cape Sabine, for 
the purpose of bringing back the latest news from the expedition; or, in the event of 
the loss of one or both steamers, to bring home the officers and men not necessary 
for the sledge journeys during the winter; to contribute supplies for the use of the 
expedition, and to aid in any way the efforts to reach or rescue Lieutenant Greely 
and his party. 

PROPOSED COMPLEMENT OF EACH WHALER OR SEALER. 

1 commanding officer. 

2 commissioned officers. 
1 engineer. 

1 surgeon. 

1 ice master. 

2 captains tops or B. mates. 

2 quartermasters. 
9 seamen. 

1 machinist. 
1 boiler maker. 
1 blacksmith. 

3 firemen. 

1 officer's cook. 

1 officer's steward. 

1 ship's cook. 

1 carpenter's mate. 

1 yeoman. 

1 captain hold. 

1 Eskimo. 

32 total. 



EXHIBIT B. 

Preliminary notes by Capt. Geo. W. Davis, U. S. A., upon the steps necessary to be taken 
to afford relief to Lieutenant Greely, at Lady Franklin Bay. 

Purchase and have fitted for Arctic service by May 1st, 1884, a steam whaler of 
strongest build of about 500 or 600 tons displacement, full steam power, and provis- 
ions for 18 months for 70 persons. A naval vessel to be also prepared of about the 
size of the " Yantic ;" for service as a tender, to be protected about the bows and 
water-line with outside sheathing, crew reduced to a minimum, provisioned for six 
months, and all available space filled with coal. 

The tender to take on board lumber, and other building material sufficient for a 
structure capable of accommodating a detachment of 35 men. Additional provisions, 
&c, to be taken in the tender for 45 men for 18 months. 

The officers and crew proper of each ship, assumed as 40 men for No. 1, and 60 men 
for No. 2, to be made up from the personnel of the Navy — the commander of the ex- 
pedition to be also a Naval officer. 

On board the relief vessel (No. 1) to be taken a detachment from the Army of 2 offi- 
eers, a doctor, and 10 enlisted men, and on board No. 2 a similar detachment. The 
officers to be selected by the Secretary of War, and the men specially enlisted or 
selected for Arctic service. 

Procure on the coast of Greenland four dog-teams, and three or four Esquimaux 
hunters if possible. Each of the vessels to be off the Greenland coast by May 10th, so 
as io secure the dogs and other equipments to be drawn from that region, filling up 
with coal from the Waigat mines if necessary, and be in a condition to reach Cape 
York (communicating with Upernavik), by June 10th (which is»the earliest date that 
whalers have been able to reach that point), moving north as rapidly as possible, the 



APPENDIX. 115 

ships remaining in company, examining all bays and promontories, leaving a record 
at Cape York if practicable, certainly at the Cary Islands, and at any other point* 
likely to be visited by a party retreating south in boats. 

The expedition should arrive at Cape Alexander or Littleton Island by July 15th to> 
20th, or possibly earlier. Make a careful examination of the east coast, islands and 
bays, to Refuge Harbor, of the west coast from Cape Isabella northward to Sabine, it" 
possible. Should the pack prevent an early entrance to Smith Sound up to Sabine r 
say by August 15th, land the sledging party from No. 2 at Life-Boat Cove or Port Foulkev. 
immediately put up the shelters and prepare for winter, and at once, with lightly- 
equipped dog-teams, send out expeditions searching for traces of Lieutenant Greely to* 
Rensselaer Bay. 

No. 2 to lie at Littleton Island or Port Foulke, and No. 1 to watch for any available 
opportunity to get north, not desisting from the attempt until the season has so far- 
advanced as to make further efforts injudicious. 

If by September loth No. 1 succeeds in getting to Dobbin Bay, and is unable to pro- 
ceed further, put her into winter quarters, say, behind Washington Irving Island or ins 
Franklin Pierce Bay. If detained by ice near Cape Prescott, land boat and sledging 
party and push forward, making use, if possible, of steam-launch. 

Should Smith Sound be found more open in the east than the west, let the vessel go> 
up into Kennedy Channel, and so communicate with Lieutenant Greely. 

Reaching Lady Franklin Bay by either route, the detachment, with their records,, 
instruments, &c, to be taken on board and the retreat begun. 

Arriving at Littleton Island, pick up the detachment left there and return to the? 
United States. 

Should No. 1 be compelled to winter, let every effort be made during the autumn 
by boats and during the spring by sledges to communicate with Greely and afford 
all relief possible. 

As soon as the sledging detachment is comfortably quartered at Life-Boat Cove, 
let systematic boatiug and sledging operations begin, depots advanced towards the* 
the north and west, and the best efforts made to succor the men at Discovery Harbor., 
who, when reached — which should not be later than September 5th — will retreat to- 
wards the south, and if No. 1 be still above Sabine, Greely's detachment should be placed! 
on board. 

If No. 1 has not been able to reach Greely nor to get to Cape Prescott, let her, at 
the latest date consistent with safety, land at Alexandra Haven her Army detach- 
ment, materials for shelter, 50 tons of coal, provisions for 35 men for 18 months, boats,, 
sleds, and dogs, and with her consort return to the United States. 

If No. 1 should have been crushed and sunk, then her crew should return to the- 
tender if possible, and if not lost, go into winter quarters at the most available port, 
communicating with the detachment at Life-Boat Cove. 

The tender to return home in any event, leaving Littleton Island by about Sep- 
tember 15th, or as the condition of the ice may determine. 

Each vessel should be supplied with all necessary boats of the most approved pat- 
tern, adapted for transportation over the ice, and, if obtainable, each should have a 
steam-launch, with enginery adapted to the burning of petroleum, the screw pro- 
tected as best may be. 

If launches depending upoa the fuel named cannot be provided, then take those- 
adapted to the burning of coal. If the ships should return to the United States in 
the autumn without affording relief, leave the launches with the detachments. 

So long as the vessels remain north, the conduct of the expedition to devolve upon 
the commander. 

If sledging detachments are left as contemplated, the command to devolve on the 
senior Army officer present, who should be junior to Lieutenant Greely. 

These are my general ideas upon the relief of Lieutenant Greely, subject to such, 
modifications as may hereafter be found necessary. 

If Lieutenant Greely be not rescued next summer, it will, of course, be necessarjr 
to send up a vessel in 1885. 



EXHIBIT C. 

Fort Brad v, Mich., December 16, 1883":. 
General William B. Hazen, 

Washington, I). C. 

Dear General: In view of the contemplated expedition for the relief of Lieuten- 
ant Greely and party next spring, I write to ask yon if you do not think it would be 
a good idea and a wise precaution for the Government to engage three or four Indians. 
and about live dog-teams and toboggans, at this or some other northern point, to 
take along with the expedition, so as not to have to rely altogether on the Esquimaux. 



114 APPENDIX. 

for such transportation, for it may happen with this expedition as it has happened 
with others, that they will not be able to obtain either dogs or drivers from the Es- 
quimaux. Dog-teams are used considerably in this country in the winter, for carry- 
ing mails, etc., through the woods. They usually drive three dogs, tandem, to a 
toboggan, which is capable of carrying all the way from two hundred and fifty (250) 
to four or five hundred 1(500) pounds, owing to the roughness of the country over which 
they have to travel. With two hundred and fifty (250) pounds they can go almost 
anywhere, and I think they would be better adapted for Arctic travel in the spring 
and summer than the runner sleds which they use in the Arctic regions, for they can 
go over soft snow very easily, and without cutting through, and I believe they can 
go over and around places that a runner sled could not. I also believe that snow- 
shoes, as are worn here, would be a good thing for a sled party to have along, as 
they could then walk over ravines, etc., which are filled with soft snow, without the 
<ianger of breaking through. A man on snow-shoes can walk over ice, that would 
not sustaiu his weight without them. The very best toboggans thoroughly fitted up, 
Avith three pieces or strips of sheet iron on the bottom to preveut their wearing, 
lashings for securing the load, and canvas cover, which laces on top of load, can be gotten 
made to order for about fifteen dollars ($15) each. And I don't think there would be much 
trouble in getting twenty (20) or thirty (30) well-trained dogs for five dollars ($5) each. 
Two Indians here, who have had great experience in dog-team travel (John Boucher 
and Autoin Piquet) could be hired for about fifty (50) or seventy -five (75) dollars a 
month each, and two younger Indians could be hired for two-thirds as much. John 
Boucher and Antoin Piquet, some years ago, while carrying mails between here and 
Saginaw, made three hundred and fifty (350) miles, on snow-shoes and with a dog- 
team in six days and five hours. When Lieutenant Danenhower of the Navy was here 
last summer, I showed him a toboggan, which he said he thought would answer ad- 
mirably for Arctic travel. 

I hope, General, you will pardon the liberty I take in thus addressing you, as I am 
prompted solely by the interest I take in the preparation for the relief of Lieutenant 
Greely and party. 

Very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

THOMAS J. CLAY, 
2d Lieut, 10th O. S. Infantry. 



EXHIBIT D. 



Headquarters Department of the Columbia, 

Vancouver Barracks, Wash. T'y, December 21, 1883. 

General Wm. B. Hazen, U. S. Army, 

President of the Greely Relief Board, Washington, D. C. 

General: In compliance with telegraphic instructions from the Adjutaut-General 
of the Army, stating that the Secretary of War directs " that I shall prepare and send 
by mail, with least practicable delay, to you, whatever I am prepared to recommend as 
to organization and conduct of a party for relief of Lady Franklin Bay Expedition," 
I would recommend as follows: 

The construction or purchase of the best steam vessel, especially adapted for Arctic 
-work, compatible with the appropriation to be made by Congress, and, if made in time, 
the preference to be given to construction, and under the immediate supervision of the 
«cc i mander of the expedition, the ice-masters, navigating officers, and such other in- 
spection as proper authority may see fit to order. 

The construction, purchase or charter (preferably one of the latter two) of a steam 
-vessel (No. 2.) adapted for ice navigation with strengthened bows and oak sheathing 
So as to combat all ordinary ice impediments, as "ramming," collisions, etc.; or, in 
ehort, about the usual service required of steam whalers, Greenland traders, or sealers, 
the latter (No. 2) to act, in part, as transport or tender to the former (No. 1). I 
give preference to purchase or charter, so that only a naval inspection will be needed, 
and no supervision of construction of two vessels going on at the same time will be 
required. 

Ice masters for the two ships should receive not less than $3,000 to $4,000 per year, 
-with an increase of 25 to 50 per cent, based on the certificate of the commander of 
the expedition, if they have managed their ships safely through and accomplished 
the main object of the relief. It is simply impossible to overestimate their import- 
ance in this expedition. As masters of whalers, the best ice-masters often make the 
above in a single season, and the Government has no reason to expect the best serv- 
ice in this art for any less, while the increasing percentage is necessary not only as an 
incentive, but also, if administered as above, to keep the proper relations between the 
commander and these bold, bluff masters of their rude art, that are seldom used to 



APPENDIX. 115 

being commanded. In fact it would be a good idea if the commander had some such 
power, to a limited degree, with all employe's. Ice-mates could be given the usual 
compensation of from $600 to $900 per year, with the same limitations. All persons 
taken from existing branches of the Government should have their pay doubled after 
crossing the Arctic Circle (as done by other governments in such service), except the 
commander, should be so chosen. If all subordinates know that their commander 
is working solely for the reputation to be gained, they will understand at once that 
their percentage of pay is in the hands of one who will accept nothing but good 
service for good character. If ice-masters are placed on supervising boards of con- 
struction they might receive proportional " shore- duty " pay while so engaged. The 
cost of such vessels as recommended can be better estimated by those engaged in 
such manufacture and those nearer the markets where they would be built. 

Vessel No. 1 is intended to follow as closely as possible upon all favorable oppor- 
tunities to reach Greely's position and relieve him by ship ; and its personnel and eq uip- 
ment should be accordingly. It should have the best ice-master and mates of the 
two ; should have a powerful propeller, with easily adjusted blades in case of break- 
age, and adequate machinery to drive it; should be of strong construction, with 
heavy horizontal and transverse struts or beams, well strengthened bows, sharp lines, 
and as small and light as possible, so as to be easily lifted in ice-pressure; should 
have plenty of small boats (whale-boats) to rescue crew (and Greely's party if aboard) 
if crushed, and to load Greely's party aud records rapidly when the position is reached, 
and its commander should carry orders for this officer to abandon everything except 
records and valuable instruments, as such vessel is presumed to be there under circum- 
stances admitting of the very least possible delay. Its navigating officers aud ice- 
master should be chosen more with reference to their success in faring matters than 
their success by cautious movements. 

Vessel No. 2 is to accompany No. 1 as far as Hudson Strait, Cumberland Sound 
or the ports in Greenland where a sledging party can be outfitted with dogs, native 
drivers, and other essentials for a winter in Smith Sound, when No. 1 will proceed on 
her journey as indicated, first transferring to No. 2 everything not absolutely essen- 
tial for a sharp, decisive encounter with the ice, carrying not over six weeks' provis- 
ions for her crew, but of the best; all this that she may float as high and be as light 
as possible in case of "nipping" by the ice. No. 2 will then visit Hudson Strait 
(and Bay, if necessary), Cumberland Sound, and Greenland ports, or as many of them 
as may be needed in order to perfect the best possible outfit for sledging and of not 
less than two, and, if it can be done, four sledges of a half a ton each. This done, 
the vessel should attempt to reach Greely's position by taking advantage of every 
fair opportunity, aud zealously avoiding any severe encounter with the ice, following 
it up only as it offers reasonable opportunities for penetration. By this time the 
season will be (presumably) favorable for such cautious movements. From the high- 
est port in Greenland, a possible route, on which No. 2 will proceed to and No. 1 return 
from Smith Sound, will be agreed upon by a council of proper officers, before the sep- 
aration, the highest discretion being allowed for contingencies. No. 1, having been 
successful, will leave notification by cairns flying flags (at every available land point) in 
certain order of color, from top to bottom, to be interpreted by No. 2 in case pack-ice 
prevents their reaching them to read the records left in the cairns; and these signals 
will be arranged before separation. Information will also be left with all natives to 
be conveyed to No. 2. If No. 1 is unsuccessful, she will remain upon the ground as high 
in latitude as possible, and at all risks, until relieved by No. 2. When the two ships 
have joined, and it shall appear reasonably evident, by lateness of season or other 
cause, that Greely's position cannot be made, the sledging party and outfit and one 
year's provisions, will be left with No. 1, and she will winter in the best harbor, in the 
highest latitude, the ice will allow in Smith Sound, No. 2, returning to the United 
States to return to Smith Sound next year. It is thus seen that No. 2 is a transport, a 
-relief vessel for No. 1, in case of disaster, and the conveyance for the sledging party, or 
last resort, in case of failure by the ice-masters. 

No. 1 might take on a single sledge with outfit at some readily-reached Greenland 
port, in case of the failure of No. 2, which failure would not be very likely in the light 
of the comparative risks of the two. With this sledge and even only two or three 
white men and a couple of Esquimaux, Greely could be reached if this party had a 
winter's supply of provisions left with them. 

The commander of the expedition should have unlimited discretion as to the ship 
he will use as his own of the two, except that he must remain with the one that win- 
ters in the sound, if that becomes necessary. No. 1 will be the most brilliant for him 
if successful, but as this success depends on her ice-master, No. 2 will be the most im- 
portant iu case of No. l's failure. Unforeseen contingencies could change this impor- 
tance, however. 

. Greely's party may be met escaping from the sound, having been compelled to 
abandon their records to save life, and such contingency should be anticipated at 
Washington, and orders given as to whether the present expedition should winter in 



116 APPENDIX. 

order to recover them, if they have been safely deposited In some secure place unde 
such expectations. 

All other recommendations of which I can think, as number of sledging party, white 
and native, the construction of the sledges and dog-harness, and number and kind of 
dogs, the quality and amount of ship's provisions for whites and natives, the material 
for wintering the ship properly, the kind and quantity of the arms and ammunition 
and other hunting and tishing supplies, and everything else necessary in equipment 
and personnel are of secondary importance, that is for recommendation, in that they 
can ue safely left with an intelligent commander, or through him and under his super- 
vision with his subordinates in their respective capacities. 

Any other information that is in my power to give will be most gladly furnished, 
either by mail or telegraph, as the Board may request, but I think it proper in closing 
to warn them against too much reliance in the subject of experience, as applied to 
Arctic affairs. The whole history of continued Arctic expeditions uuder one com- 
mander will show a far larger list of retrogradations than advancement in success, 
noticeably the continued expeditions of Franklin, Parry, Barentz, Hudson, Hall, 
Kane, McClure, Back, and probably a score of others who had served previously as 
commanders or in subordinate capacities; and all this I can account for only on the 
ground of a too rigid application of their principles of experience. 

An active mind, fertile with resources for a multitude of rapidly varying circum- 
stances, is a higher quality, which, if tempered with experience, would be invaluable,. 
and this is the more important the higher the position in the expedition. 
I am, sir, vour obedient servant, 

FRED'K SCHWATKA, 
Lieut, od Cav., Aide-de-camp to General Miles. 



EXHIBIT E 



West House, Wells, Norfolk, 

Xovember 5, 1883. 

My Dear Sir: It is not long since I returned from a tour of duty in South Africa r 
where I passed over two years in Natal, Transvaal, and Zululand. 

My heart always reverts to Arctic enterprise, and I feel confident that you will for- 
give me intruding on your valuable time when I beg for a little information as to what 
is to be done next year towardathe relief of Lieutenant Greely's party in Smith Sound. 

I do not think that too much dependence ought to be placed on the report brought 
back by Dr. Nathorst from Cape York natives that Lieutenant Greely's party had 
reached Littleton Island. 

I am very much afraid that the Eskimo of Cape York in conversation with Hans 
Hendrik assumed that Mr. Beebe's party from the "Neptune" in 1882, or the ship- 
wrecked crew of the "Proteus," 1883, was identical with the Greely party. 

From the log of the "Proteus" published in Xew York Hei-ald Sept. 18th, 1883, it 
appears that the " Proteus" people were on Littleton Island on the 25th of July. Had 
Greely's party been there, surely some trace of it must have been found. 

On the 10th of August, the "Proteus" people are in communication with the Eskimo 
of Cape York, who must have known as much of what was going on as the members 
of the tribe who were interviewed by Dr. Nathorst and Hans, and no mention appears 
"to have been made of anything relating to Greely's party. 

The "Proteus" people left Cape York on the 16th August. If Dr. Nathorst commu- 
nicated with Cape York prior to that date, he may, I am afraid, assume that there is 
no foundation in the Eskimo report that Greely's party had reached Littleton Island,. 
for if such had been the case the " Proteus" party must have found traces of them. 

If Dr. Nathorst communicated with the natives of Cape York after the "Proteus" 
party passed along their coast line, then I am afraid the Eskimo reports refer to " Pro- 
teus" people, not Greely's party. 

1 am very much afraid that Greely's party, if alive, are still ice-bound in Discovery 
Bay. I have no doubt that the United States Government, with its usual energy and 
munificence, will organize relief next year on an efficient scale. 

If I am correct in my surmise that Greely's party had not reached Littleton Island 
this summer, then the relief expedition should consist of two steamers next year. 

Why did the "Yantic'" not keep company with the "Proteus"? Had"the two 
ships been in company the "Yantic" might have remained at Pandora Harbour or 
Payer Harbour. 

The "Proteus" people would, in the case of disaster (as happened), have had the 
" Yantic " to fall back on. Great suffering would have been avoided, and in all prob- 
ability the "Proteus" would not have been thrust into the ice to meet her fate on 



APPENDIX. 117 

the 23d of July — a date, I think, too early to attempt to force a passage up Smith 
Sound, judging from our former experiences. 

In my humble estimation, it appears to me that a great effort should be made to 
relieve or recover Greely's party next year. 

The coast line from the Devil's Thumb to Cape York should be searched in case the 
Eskimo report be true that Greely's party reached Littleton Island and attempted to 
get south. The search should be carried along carefully from Cape York to Littleton 
Island. Supposing that one steamer did that, the other might go on to Pandora Har- 
bour or Port Foulke. 

Promising that both our ships are at Port Foulke in the beginning of August, I 
would suggest that they move across the sound to Payer Harbour, one to remain there, 
the other to be ready to take advantage of any clearance in the ice, so as to make a 
rush up to Discovery Bay. Supposing that this proves impossible, then I am afraid 
the fate of Greely's party would be sealed. The winter of 1884-85 would be beyond 
bope. Still, it would be incumbent to recover the records and solve the fate of the 
Discovery Bay party. To this end (the necessity, I trust, may never come to pass) 
one ship should be left to winter in Payer Harbour, and from thence push sledge 
parties to Discovery Bay in the spring of 1885. 

I do not think there would be any great or insurmountable obstacles in carrying 
out the sledge schemes. I feel confident it might be done. 

The escape of a steamer from Payer Harbour in 1885 is almost a certainty. 
With great regard, believe me to be, verv sincerely, 

H. W. FEILDEN, 
Major, Army Pay Dep't, 

H. B. M. A. 

Dr. Emil Bessels, 

Washington, D. C, 

United States America. 



War Department, 

Washington City, February 21, 1884. 

General: I have the honor to transmit herewith a copy of the letter of Major H. 
W. Feilden, Army Pay Department, Koyal Artillery Barracks, Woolwich, January 9th, 
1884, relating to certain inquiries looking to the procuring of suitable vessels for the 
Greely Belief Expedition and offering his services to accompany the expedition. I 
also inclose a copy of the reply of the Chief Signal Officer, to whom the foregoing let- 
ter was addressed,and of his indorsement referring the correspondence to this office. 
Very respectfully, 

ROBERT T. LINCOLN, 

Secretary of War. 

General Wm. B. Hazen, U.S.A., 

President of the Greely Belief Board, 

Washington, D. C. 

[Enclosure 1.] 

(Private.) 

Royal Artillery Barracks, Woolwich, 

January 9, 1884. 

General : The information imparted to me confidentially, yelterday, that Captain 
Chad wick, U. S. N., your attache" in London, had received telegraphic instructions to 
inquire about two vessels in England, suitable for ice navigation, has given me the 
most lively satisfaction. I trust that Captain Chad wick may be successful. I believe 
he left London for Dundee last night. 

If my local acquaintance with the shores of Smith Sound, from Cape Isabella to 
Discovery Bay, might be of use to your forthcoming expedition, I would not hesitate 
to offer them, provided that my government granted me leave of absence, which I 
presume it would do. 

Trusting that the deep interest I take in this matter, may be considered a sufficient 
excuse for my again addressing you, 

I am, General, your obedient servant, 

H. W. FEILDEN. 



118 



APPENDIX. 



llnclosure 2.] 

Signal Office, 
Washington City, January 21s/, 1884. 

Respectfully forwarded to the honorable the Secretary of War, with copy of note 
Bent in reply. It will be remembered that Major Feilden was one of the officers of 
the Narea expedition. 

W. B. HAZEN, 
Brig, and Bvt. Ma}. Gen? I, 
Chief Signal Officer, U.S. A. 



[Inclosure 3.] 

Office of the Chief Signal Officer. 

Washington, D. C, January 21, 1884. 

My Dear Sir : I am in receipt of yours of the 9th January, to which I beg to reply 
that the selection of the personnel of the new expedition to Discovery Bay is in the 
hands of the Secretaries of the War and Navy Departments, to whom I will immedi- 
ately refer your letter. 

Very truly, yours, W. B. HAZEN, 

Brig, and Bvt. Maj. Gen'l, Chief Signal Officer. 
Major H. W. Feilden, 
Army Pay Department, 

Royal Artillery Barracks, 

Woolwich, England. 



EXHIBIT F. 
Memorandum of a plan to relieve Lieutenant Greely, by Commander Frank Wildes, U. S. N. 

Two (2) ships of about 300 tons ; of as light draught, as economical engines, as large 
coal capacity, and as great strength as can be found ; to be still further overhauled 
and strengthened ; provisioned, equipped, and supplied with clothing for two years ; 
officered and manned by the United States Navy and under American colors; the com- 
mander to have had some Arctic experience if possible ; 7 officers and 36 men (25 of 
whom to be able seamen) to each vessel; each ship to be fitted with patent reefing 
and furling topsails; to carry not less than 6 boats, spare-rudder, spare-screws, saws for 
cutting docks, electrical apparatus, powder in 5 and 10 lb. tin cans for blasting ice. 

The senior officer to command expedition. To leave Upernavik about July 10th 
to 20th, and having reached the "north waier," to separate ;, one vessel to search the 
coast so far as circumstances will permit, from Cape York to Three Sister Bees, in- 
cluding Wolstenholme Sound ; the other the coast and island from Three Sister Bees 
to Cape Alexander, including Cary Islands ; ships to rendezvous at Pandora Harbor. 

Receiving no news of Greely, one vessel to remain in Pandora Harbor as base; the 
other (the senior officer) to cruise to Cape Sabine and search in that vicinity, and 
should the season appear favorable, push north as far as practicable, following the 
inshore leads ; in no case to thrust the vessel blindly into the pack. _ 

The great success of the English expedition was owing to the high qualities of its 
personnel, to a careful study of the movements of the ice as influenced by winds and 
tides, and to the increasing vigilance and watchfulness by which no opportunity to 
advance was lost. 

Should the pack continue close and immovable and the season unfavorable, the ves- 
sel to endeavor to reach Alexandra Haven ; thence dispatch two boats to Lady Frank- 
lin Bay ; boats for the service to be fitted as Sir Edw. Parry's were in his attempt to 
reach the pole from Spitzbergen (1827 ?), viz, two deep bilge keels, to be used as sledge 
runners. 






APPENDIX. 119 

As late as Aug. 25th this vessel should be prepared to take advantage of open water 
to proceed north. 

Physical conditions in Smith Sound vary from comparatively navigable ice and mod- 
erate weather found by "Polaris" and "Proteus" (1881), to closely-packed ice and con- 
stant storms experienced by the "Pandora" during the entire month of Aug., 1876. This 
vessel was 3 weeks in making a landing at Cape Isabella, and was finally driven out of 
the sound. It was even uncertain if she could have reached Payer Harbor. Therefore,, 
the instructions to commander of the expedition must be largely discretionary. 

Pandora Harbor is best anchorage on coast, but Foulk Fiord abounds in animal 
life, Dr. Hayes having killed 100 reindeer in Oct. and Nov., and continued to get 
them through the winter and spring. He states emphatically that one hunter can 
support 20 men with the products of chase. 

Littleton Island and Life-Boat Cove can present no special advantages. Walrus 
and birds abound on the former, but a vessel can remain but a short time at either 
place. 

Should the ice move south, the vessel in Pandora Harbor is liable to be blocked in 
for the winter, but that may happen at any point. This vessel receiving no news 
from her consort by Sept. 1st, then to set up frame house on shore, land provisions, 
and prepare to winter. 

It will be impossible next season to procure coal on the Greenland coast north of 
Ivigtut. A small amount might be obtained at the Kudlisit mines, with a good deal 
of labor, or at some of the other outcroppings, say at Hare Island, but it is very 
uncertain. 



EXHIBIT G. 

Navy Department, 
Bureau of Navigation and Office of Detail, 

Washington, January 4, 1884, 
Brevet Major-General Wm. B. Hazen, U. S. A., 

President of Board considering steps for the relief of Lieut. Greely, U. S. A. : 

Sir : By direction of the Secretary of the Navy, I have the honor to forward here- 
with a letter from Lieutenant N. R. Usher, U. S. N., containing a project for the relief 
of Lieutenant Greely and party. 
I am, sir. verv respectfully, 

J. G. WALKER, 

Ch ief of Bureau. 

[Enclosure 1.] 

U. S. S. " Saratoga," 3d Rate, 
Navy Yard, Neiv York, 29 December, 1883. 
To the Board for relief of Lady Franklin Bay Expedition : 

Gentlemen : In accordance with permission received through Commander H. C_ 
Taylor, U. S. N., commanding this vessel, I beg to submit to the Board the following; 
project for utilizing what has not, in any previous expedition, been found available, 
viz, a steamer of high speed capable of maintaining her search during any reasona- 
ble period, and one at the same time of such strength and build as shall, to some ex- 
tent, render safety from many of the dangers from young ice, or ice of recent forma- 
tion. I would respectfully propose that the party consist of a small number of mem 
selected from the enlisted men of the Navy, men and officers to be of American birth ; 
this party to be organized at once, that they may learn to pull together while under 
the most favorable circumstances. 

I would propose that the vessel have good speed, say at least (12) twelve knots per 
hour, and capable of maintaining this speed under all ordinary circumstances. The 
vessel could, I believe, be found among those used for clearing away the ice in the/ 
Delaware and Chesapeake Bays. These vessels, many of which are paddle, though 
some of them are fitted with screws, push their way through ice of considerable 
thickness, their peculiar build causing the forebody of the vessel to rise upon and 
crush by its weight the ice in front. Vessels of this character are strongly built,, 
and where they have good speed can avoid any danger from being frozen in. A good 
speed would enable her to avoid to a great extent any danger while running through 
leads in the pack-ice, and would enable the officer in command to take advantage of 
every opportunity to push his way along the coast in his search. Such a vessel 
should be capable of keeping the sea in all weathers, and should one of the bay ice-tugs 



120 APPENDIX. 

"be selected, it could be easily made seaworthy by stout whale-backs, supported by imn 
frames forward and aft. What deck-houses are found on vessels of this kind could be 
•converted into quarters for the ship's company and the members of the party sought 
for. That a vessel of the kind described may be used, it will be necessary to provide 
*ome means of supplying fuel in adequate quantity. To do this I would suggest the 
use of a fuel unknown in this country at the present time save in one or two instances 
of manufacturing firms, where it is used with stationary boilers. I refer to the 
tluid refuse from the petroleum oil refineries. At Hunter's Point, in this port, 
this may be had in any desired quantity at little or no cost. This fuel is now 
in aae, and has been in use for years past in the merchant steamers and war 
steamers used by the Russians on the Caspian Sea, the substance being ob- 
tained from the oil wells near the military post of Baku, where it is to be had in great 
abundance. The vessels using this snbstauce as fuel have boilers of the usual form, 
no alteration being found necessary beyond an arrangement for feeding the fuel to the 
furnace, using a steam jet to accelerate its flow from the Tank holding it. The iron 
•coal bunkers with which vessels are supplied would afford the space for stowage, 
either calking the bunkers and making them tight to hold fluid, or removing the 
bulk-heads and replacing them by the water- tanks, such as men-of-war are usually 
fitted out with. I am well aware of the objection to anything of an experimental 
nature to be used on an expedition of this kind, but must submit that where fuel of 
this kind has been used for a long time with success, as it has been in the Caspian 
.steamers, and for such important service as transporting troops and war material to 
supply the Russian column when an advance was made on Golk Tep6, in Central Asia, 
-and the cruising Russian men-of-war on the Caspian, it cannot be cousidered experi- 
mental. It is at present in use with appliances, the nature of which, and mode of use, 
•can be easily had of those » ow using it, and within a short time, through the Intelli- 
gence Office of the Navy, and it offers such advantages in stowage and such power of 
heating effect, any given quantity of this refuse petroleum replacing effectively four 
times the same quantity of coal, that it would appear the very thing for a vessel 
"where a supply to last a long time is of consideration. The climate of the Caspian 
(has periods of intense cold, as well as great heat, and no trouble is found in hand- 
Sing or making use of this substance, and it wonld seem that taking the precautions 
Tio-w made use of in the Caspian steamers, no greater danger in carrying it would be 
found than they overcame, while the great advantage of quadrupling the supplj" of 
fuel Available cannot be overestimated. 

A vessel thus fitted out, strong in build, of good speed, capable of keeping the sea 
in any weather, and of pushing her way through new ice, if necessary, not hampered 
•by the deck load with which the cruiser in the Arctic is usually hampered, could 
start from the most available northern port at the earliest available time, and, if 
necessary, continue her labors until the end of the season, with no need to renew her 
fuel supply. Upernavik affords a convenient station from which to start the search. 
There a supply of this proposed fuel could be left, and fiom thence the vessel com- 
mence her cruising, examining every accessible part of the land, and, where possible, 
throwing out search parties where a probability of their usefulness was seen. 

To the end. that the parties leaving the ship should be easily and effectively out- 
fitted for journeying ashore ou ice or afloat, I would suggest that whale-boats, such 
as have been supplied and made use of by the English naval authorities on the 
African coast for landing parties and use in the surf, be supplied in addition to the 
vessel's proper complement of boats. The boats which I suggest are built of stout 
frames hinged in the center, built of tubular metal or stout, tough wood, and covered 
with the stoutest canvas. They are built to fold in a small space. When complete, 
weight about 500 lbs., and are each capable of carrying 12 to 20 persons, and a landing 
outfit to last three (3) days. They are carried at sea abreast the vessel's boat davits 
that they may be easilyput together and gotten overboard when needed. These boats, 
taken apart, could be converted into sledges for use ashore or on the ice, and parties, 
when making camp could make use of the boat as shelter. These boats are practical, 
have been used, are found good s w a-boats and of good carrying capacity. Taken apart 
and used as sledges they practically make two sledges each, one being loaded with the 
boat canvas, oars, &c, and theotherbeingavailablefortransporting stores, &c. These 
ooats can be put together in (20) twenty to (25) twenty-five minutes, and are then as 
stout and sea-worthy as the heavy wooden boats or metallic boats carried as life-boats, 
save only their vulnerability to sharp edges of ice. These boats, held in reserve till 
auxiliaries to the vessel's complement of boats are needed, would perhaps be of much 
use at a time when other means of transport would have to be extemporized. A vessel 
thus built and equipped would seem to possess the most desirable qualities for the 
proposed search, both at sea and along the coast, and be enabled to work effectively 
•dui ing an entire season, avoiding entering the ice. I would say that there was, some 
time since, a trial of this proposed fuel at this Navy- Yard, the report of it being, on 
the whole, unfavorable. But the trial was chiefly to determine a particular mode of 



APPENDIX. 121 

using the fuel and to try one person's apparatus for that purpose, and the objection 
found was the tendency of the pipes to clog and impede a free flow of the fluid. 
I venture, then, to recapitulate the points of the plan I would propose : 

1. A limited number of officers and men to be drawn entirely from the Navy, or, if 
men are taken from civil life, American citizens. To be gotten together at the earliest 
possible moment and put aboard the selected vessel. 

2. The use of a northern port, as Upernavik, as a base. 

3. A vessel, rigged as a schooner if possible, built to crush ice — having a speed of 
at least (12) twelve knots and capable of maintaining that speed. If necessary the 
vessel to be fitted with " whale-backs" forward and aft. 

4. At least four (4) boats in addition to the ordinary outfit of boats, these extra 
ones whale-boat shape, canvas over wooden or tubular metal frames, and capable of 
compact stowage and convertibility into sledges on the ice. 

5. The vessel to be put in shape for cruising at once, and used to convey to the 
point selected as a base any extra .supplies of fuel, &c, considered advisable, and to 
accustom the officers and men to their craft. 

I am, gentlemen, verv respectfully, your obedient servant, 

N. R. USHER, 
Lieutenant U. S. Navy. 



EXHIBIT H. 

Washington, April 26, 1877. 

Sir: In a note, dated the 23d of January, 1875, which I had the honor to receive 
from Mr. Fish, he transmitted a copy of a letter from the Secretary of the Navy, of the 
19th of that month, in which he forwarded a list of the stores and provisions depos- 
ited on the west coast of Greenland by the Polaris expedition, and was good enough 
to state that all or any of these stores were at the service of the Polar expedition to 
be dispatched in that year by Her Majesty's Government. He added that in the 
event of their use, the Navy Department would accept such inventory and appraise- 
ment as might be made by the order of the commander of the expedition. 

It has been reported by Sir George Nares, the commander of the expedition, that 
in regard to the provisions deposited at Polaris Bay by the United States Polar Ex- 
pedition, the whole of the provisions were used by the sledge parties from Her Majesty's 
ships " Alert" and " Discovery," and that the depot no longer exists. 

In consideration that the depot was thus disturbed by the British Expedition, 
Her Majesty's Government would be glad to make payment for the whole of the 
original supply of provisions, and in compliance with Lord Derby's instructions I 
have therefore the honor to ask that the Navy Department of the United States will 
furnish me with a statement of the value of the provisions in question, in order that 
the wishes of Her Majesty's Government may be carried out with regard to their 
payment. 

I have the honor to be, with the highest consideration, sir, 
Your obedient servant, 

EDW'D THORNTON. 

The Hon. Frederick W. Seward, &c, &c, &c. 



EXHIBIT I. 

Boston, Jan'y 8th, 1884. 
Hon. W. E. Chandler, 

Secretary of the Navy : 

Dear Sir : As many are making suggestions about the relief of our friends in the 
Arctic, I think I have a right to a place among others. 

I placed the first machinery in a vessel for Arctic use aud made a voyage to see how 
it worked, and since have fitted five others and made four voyages — three north and 
one south, where I spent twenty months in the ice, and as I am a practical engineer, 
as well as knowing all about constructing a proper hull or vessel of any sort, and my 
loug experience in the icy regions, I claim to know what is wanted and am ready to 
fit you a vessel ready for sea in every branch, and have all complete in time for the 
expedition. 

My experience has taught me that people do not learn the requirements of these 
voyages in once trying, and the first thing is a suitable ship, and to my certain knowl- 
edge there is noue now fit to make this hazardous voyage. I have beeu left in the ice 
myself, and am williDg to give you my experience to help save our friends. Can re- 
fer you to the best men of New York and Pacific coast if you wish to hear more from 
me. 

FRANK REYNOLDS. 
9 



122 APPENDIX. 

Washington, Jan'y 22nd, 1884. 

Honorable W. E. Chandler, 

Secretary U. 8, Xai'y, and Advisory Board: 

Gentli.mkn : I come here to represent New York and eastern ship and engine 
builders Of reputation, and as there has been numerous suggestions concerning Lieut. 
Greely and party now in those desolate regions of ice, and knowing the necessity of 
immediate action on the part of the Government for their relief, I take the liberty of 
making a few remarks on the subject. 

There seems to be but little doubt at the present time of finding experienced and 
suitable men for the carrying out of such voyage. There are always plenty of men 
ready to volunteer that know nothing of the requirements or dangers liable to occur, 
and especially to inexperienced men. Men who have voyaged in that country and are 
willing to go again, are brave enough to again attempt such voyage, deserve the re- 
spect of all nations and it seems to me a wrong thing to ask such men to risk such, 
voyage until we have at first done all that human skill can advise to warrant them 
a successful voyage and safe return. 

Now what is to be done? I would suggest that the Government contract immedi- 
ately for one or more suitable vessels for this purpose. Said vessel or vessels can be con- 
structed and got ready in ample time, if the order is given soon. To my certain knowl- 
edge there is no vessel now to be had in any way suitable for this voyage and my long 
experience in those regions warrants my making this broad assertion, and I am willing 
to give my experience, backed by the best builders in the country, to construct a vessel 
or vessels that will be a credit for the Government to own. There may be those that 
know what is required in the construction of vessels for this voyage, and I am here to 
say I do know what is wanted, and am ready to contract to build in ninety days said 
vessels, equipped ready for sea except boats and provisions. I would advise carry- 
ing four New Bedford whale-boats as life-boats, as there are no other boats to take 
their place in rongb water, and with two light boats fitted with sleds, would be all 
that would be required for the voyage. These boats I can have built and fitted with 
all the necessary requirements if desired, as I am thoroughly conversant in all these 
matters. 

Hoping you will give this prompt attention and consideration, 
I am, most respectfully, 

FRANK REYNOLDS. 

Address "Delamater Iron Works, West 13th street, New York." 



EXHIBIT K. 



Navy Department, Bureau op Medicine and Surgery, 

January \lth, 1884. 
Sir: I have the honor to transmit, in accordance with your request of the 4th inst., 
the accompanying embodiment of my views in relation to the sanitary precautions for 
Arctic expeditions and hints as to the best methods of preserving health in high lati- 
tudes. I beg to state that the list of medical stores for the Rodgers seems to have 
proven satisfactory. 

Very respectfully, 

PHILIP S. WALES, 

Surgeon-General, U. S. N. 
Bvt. Major-General W. B. Hazen, U. S. A., 

Chief Signal Officer and President of Board, SfC. 



[Enclosure 1.] 
Sanitary suggestions for the guidance of Arctic expeditions. 

The exacting requirements of Arctic life display the cardinal importance of select- 
ing persons of the most vigorous vital powers and of the highest moral qualities for 
expeditions, of whatever character, undertaken to penetrate the solitudes and to en- 
counter the dangers of high latitudes. The physical aud moral qualifications of the 
personnel should be scrutinized minutely, both as regards early history and present 
condition, with the view of determining these indispensable questions. The ages 
between which these qualities are found most highly developed are twenty-five and 
thirty-seven, or during the third and fourth decennaries of life. The average age of 
the twenty- three enlisted men of the "Jeannette's" crew was about 28 years, the oldest 



APPENDIX. 123 

person being 48 and the youngest 18 on leaving San Francisco. The average age of 
the officers and civilian staff was 35, the eldest being 45 and the youngest 29. There 
should not be manifest any unusual tendency to corpulence or thinness, as both ex- 
tremes suggest suspicions of defective health. The physiological proportion of the 
weight to the height may be stated generally as within the limits of two and two and 
a half pounds to the inch of stature. Persons of moderate height, between 5 feet 6 
inches and 5 feet 10 inches, have usually more endurance than those of wider racges. 
It will be advisable not to select any recruit who presents evidence of past constitu- 
tional disease, particularly scrofula, syphilis, and rheumatism, or tendency thereto, 
although he may be of apparently robust constitution. 

The temperament best suited to Arctic service is that known as the sanguine ; per- 
sons of this sort are endowed with a more vigorous power of assimilation, active 
circulation, florid skin, large firm muscles, and capacity for brisk movements and pro- 
longed exertion. Another notable quality is a superior power of eliminating animal 
heat under low temperatures, so justly esteemed by Sir John Ross as of first importance 
to sojourners in high latitudes. The heat-producing power is possessed in varying 
degrees by persons of the same seemingly vigorous organization. A degree of extreme 
cold that would be simply invigorating to one might produce in another painful or 
even exhausting depression. The view of Ross was that the sensations of cold are 
not entirely dependent upon the physical effects of greater or less hygroinetric satu- 
ration, the velocity of the wind, the actual temperature, the amount of exercise, or 
the quality and quantity of the food. These are, it is true, circumstances which 
affect the power of generating animal heat, but this power is, at the same time, as 
much a portion of the original constitution as are the muscular or mental energies, 
and deserves the first attention in the selection of a crew. This fact is seen in every- 
day experience, and is referred to by Arctic travelers. Unfortunately there is no 
ready test to determine this desirable quality, yet it may be asserted that it is pos- 
sessed by northern peoples, Norwegians, Danes, Swedes, Canadians, and xVew Eng- 
landers, in greater degree than by those of the south, a circumstance due in part to 
inherited powers and in part to acquired adaptability, and by men of the largest ap- 
petites and most perfect digestion ; feeble stomachs, whether dyspeptic or merely 
unable to receive much food, are found in men who suffer most from cold, and who 
never generate heat enough to resist external impressions. This doubtless explains, 
in a great-measure, the resisting powers of the Esquimaux, whose consumption of food 
i« sometimes enormous and often incredible. 

It would be advisable, as far as practicable, to recruit Arctic ships from northern 
regions, and from persons of the type and character above described, particularly 
from those who have already had experience in Arctic traveling. It has been ad- 
vised by certain writers on Arctic service, that they should be of one nationality 
which is calculated to secure closer ties of sympathy and interests. The sanguine 
temperament presents the most desirable moral qualities, as also power of resist- 
ance to the depressing influences of prolonged Arctic nights and daily hardships 
and dangers; and it is linked with a humorous, lively, good-natured, and hopeful dis- 
position, so essential to the successful and harmonious prosecution of such enterprises. 
The reverse of this temperament is that including persons of portly habit, sluggish 
movement, dark complexioned, with feeble heart power, tardy circulation, and in- 
clined to indulge in gloomy emotions — a class of individuals little fitted for such 
service. Professor R. L. Newcomb, of the " Jeannette," in a private communication, 
assures me that he can testify, from personal experience, to the value of the above 
suggestions in selecting men for Arctic service. Lieutenant Danenhower informs 
me that "the crew of this vessel was composed of 13 Americans. 4 Germans, 4 
Swedes, 2 English, 2 Irish, 2 Danes, 2 Chinese, 2 Alaska Indians, 1 Hollander, and 1 
Russian, making an entire complement of 33, of which 8 lived in the cabin and 25 
forward. In the cabin seven were American and one Irish born, but a natural- 
ized citizen. Probably a more cosmopolitan crew was never before detailed for Arctic 
service, and it may be interesting to study the national peculiarities of this mixed 
crew, and to judge to what extent they harmonized. Less than one-fourth of the 
men in the forecastle were Americans, though there was no other nationality in ex- 
cess of that number. The men always seemed to get along well together, with little 
or no bickering or quarreling about their respective countries. Most of them had 
been following the sea for mauy years in such mixed company, and that may account 
for it. After the ship was crushed the officers and men had to live together, and we 
had good opportunities for judging of how the men got along with each other. They 
all labored so cheerfully and well that it is impossible to decide which nationality 
should be most praised. The two Chinamen were always treated fairly and well, but 
among the men there was an undercurrent of prejudice against them that occasionally 
came to the surface. The Orientals stood the extreme cold very well, and always did 
their share of the work most faithfully. 

"Notwithstanding our satisfactory experience with a congenial cosmopolitan crew, I 
am of the opinion that the crew of an Arctic ship should be of one nationality, and 



124 APPENDIX. 

that of an American ship should "be native born, or at least citizens of the country. 
It is true that the Germans and Scandinavians are very tractable and easy to get along 
with, but it is also true that in times of danger and emergency the American and 
Irish-American elements are the leading men. 

"About one-half of the crew was selected from a large number of candidates at New 
York, ami the remainder from a lesser number at San Francisco. They were men of 
line phvsiqne, averaging 5 feet 10 inches stature and 170 pounds weight. About one- 
third of the complement had light hair, florid complexions, and sanguine tempera- 
ments, while the others, particularly the Americans, had dark hair and quiet dis- 
positions. There was not a really morbid or unhappy disposition in the party, though 
quite a number were subject to slight attacks of low spirits. The quality of pleasing 
others was not especially considered in making the selections, but we found quite a 
number had such qualities, and good nature and sociability prevailed in the fore- 
castle. 

" The two Indians, Alexie and Anequin, aged respectively about 30 and 20 years, got 
along very well with the officers and crew. They were generally quite happy, but at 
times were low spirited, and probably suffered from homesickness more than any- 
body else." 

The same officer, in considering the selection of men in the different pursuits of life, 
Temarks that " the question has often occurred to me: Is there any other class of 
men better adapted to Arctic sled- work than sailors ? 

"The average sailor seldom does a day's work like the continuous labor of the hod- 
carrier, for example, or the farmer during harvest. The sledding season is the harvest- 
time for Arctic explorations, and wrestling with sleds and boats over the Arctic pack 
is far worse than carrying bricks or following the plow. 

" There is a class of men in the Pacific States who are 'packers' of goods to and 
from the mines. They are very hardy, carrying heavy loads day after day, and having 
wonderful endurance. Among our soldiers on the Western plains a very hardy ele- 
ment could be found. 

" The Chouckches, the Tunguses, and the Cossacks of Siberia are all very hardy men. 
After considering these various classes of hard workers, I arrive at the conclusion 
that the seamen class is the best from which to select Arctic sledders. 

" First. It comes more in their line of business. 

"Second. Seamen can adapt themselves to circumstances probably better than any 
other class of men. 

" Third. Although there is usually really not very much sailorizing in a sled trip, yet 
there is considerable, when working over ice-fields and through cracks and fis- 
sures. 

11 Fourth. The very fact that sailors have not generally been subjected to such hard 
work as hod-carriers, packers, or farm-hands, increases their chances of withstand- 
ing the severe work of sledding, for which they have not lowered their stamina by 
overwork." 

The sanitary condition of the ship is of no less importance than the procurement of 
a healthy and vigorous crew ; for without the former the latter will soon degenerate 
and become as inefficient as a crew originally defective in health. The obtainment 
of appropriate sanitation is somewhat more difficult in Arctic ships than under ordi- 
nary circumstances, on account of the extreme cold and the prolonged darkness, the 
ill effects of which are, in some manner, almost irremediable. It is unquestionable 
that ships intended for this service ought to be built with special reference to the 
peculiar and exceptional surroundings of Arctic voyages, but this has not hitherto 
been done, and the consummation of this desirable object rests with the future. 
Ameliorations in the structure of ships of ordinary character may, however, be at- 
tended with great success iu attaining better conditions of sanitation. 

The men ought to be provided with berths. They add greatly to their comfort and 
happiness. Every man, and especially a seaman, on board an Arctic ship likes to 
have a little place which he can call his own, and to which he may retire when he 
wishes. During the retreat, Newcomb says he often heard the men tell about the 
comfort they had in their berths, and how otherwise it would have been had they 
been required to sleep in hammocks. Aside from this there is a perious practical ob- 
jection to hammocks. There must be a place to stow them, and that will doubtless 
be a very cold one. Therefore, when the hammock is lashed and stowed in the morn- 
ing, with its more or less damp bedding, the dampness will be condensed and form 
frost. When the hammock is brought iu at night it will be so cold that the moist 
air of the forecastle will be condensed on the bedding, making it very damp and un- 
heal thful. 

The principal points demanding attention are the heating, lighting, and ventilating 
contrivances. The most perfect method of heating the living-deck of an Arctic ship 
would be by steam coils fitted in appropriate adits, by means of which fresh air of 
the proper temperature could be delivered below. This has not yet been realized, 
and the old plan of warming the air after gaining admission to the apartments pre- 



APPENDIX. 125 

vails exclusively. This is accomplished by steam coils in the most improved vessels, 
such as have been built as whalers, and of this type was the " Rodgers." 

The usual or exclusive method of heating, up to the time of Nares' expedition, was 
by stoves scattered at convenient points around the deck and communicating with 
the external air by pipes, a plan which leads to the production of cold draughts, de- 
leterious at once to health and comfort. 

On board the " Investigator," in 1853, what is known as Sylvester's stove was used. 
This consisted of an ordinary heater placed in the bold from which pipes were led into 
the various apartments to be heated. This was reported as being a good apparatus, 
the consumption of coal being about 70 pounds per diem. On the "Alert" a number 
of stoves were distributed about the deck and were used as required, sometimes 
all together. A plan said to answer admirably was adopted on the "Discovery," 
of fitting a small stove with hot-water pipes, which gave out a large warming power. 
The maintenance of the heat below will be greatly assisted by building housings over 
the hatches, with double doors, and covering the upper deck with snow one or two 
feet deep, and, when possible in winter quarters, by banking it against the ship. The 
necessity for strict economy in fuel which may arise will often place embarrassing dif- 
ficulties in the way of obtaining the requisite elevation of temperature for comforta- 
ble living. It may be here remarked that it is neither necessary nor desirable to 
raise the temperature very high. One not exceeding 55° Fah. is perfectly compatible 
with health and comfort, and avoi 's at the same time the inconvenient aqueous con- 
densation at higher degrees. The temperature of the "Alert" was maintained be- 
tween 40° and 50° Fah. during winter. There is not usually more than a degree or 
two difference between the temperature of the air of the upper deck and that of the 
outside, although this deck is protected by the usual housing. Professor Newcomb 
says that "the ward-room of the ' Jeannette,' where six of the eight officers slept, was 
not heated, and proved a comfortable placed to sleep, with less moisture than any 
other of the inhabited parts of the ship. Many a comfortable night's rest have I 
enjoyed there. By not having a fire the frost which penetrated was dry, and in the 
spring could be chipped off before it thawed much." 

The proper illumination of Arctic ships is a difficult matter, but no effort should be 
spared to obtain iis benign influence. As Martin has truthfully observed, "Light is 
the very life-blood of nature, without which everything material would fade and per- 
ish." The light gains access below through the skylights and bull's-eyes, which 
should be kept in good order. The ordinary oil lamps and candles, as is well known, 
consume the oxygen of the air and at the same time diminish its respirability by 
eliminating carbon dioxide, and the extent of this is readily appreciable when it is 
stated that one pound of oil demands for complete combustion 138 cubic feet of air 
and produces 21 feet of carbon dioxide, and a single sperm candle burning twenty-four 
hours produces 11.6 cubic feet of carbon dioxide. In breathing, a man adds 1 per 
cent, of carbonic acid to 53£ cubic feet of air in an hour, which vitiates the air at the 
rate of 1 cubic foot per minute. The electric light will furnish a boon of inestimable 
benefit during the period of darkness, but has not as yet been utilized for this purpose. 

Ventilation of the lower decks must l»e carefully attended to; but, as may readily 
be appreciated from the excessively low temperature of the external atmosphere, the 
very frequent renewal of air heated in the ordinary way after admission is an im- 
possibility; so that the methods hitherto adopted are, so to speak, a sort of compro- 
mise between the cold and an impure air. When it is recollected that the volume 
necessary for health is 3,000 cubic feet every hour, and that the space allowed each 
person on a ship of 800 tons is only, at most, 150 cubic feet per man, it will be seen 
that, to insure the former quantity, the air would have to be changed twenty times, 
which would be impossible, both on account of the intense cold and the draughts that 
would be engendered. 

In our temperate latitudes air cannot be renewed more than six times in this period 
without the production of damaging currents. The simplest plan, in the absence of 
an aspirating apparatus, is to have tubular ventilators communicating externally, and 
supplied with proper hoods and valves, by which the quantity of air may be regu- 
lated, as the great difference between the temperature of the outside and inside, 
always from 80° to 100°, will induce very strong currents. 

The opening and closing of the doors of the hatch-housings in the ordinary routine 
of ship work will aid in introducing fresh air. One of the officers of the "Alert" 
adopted the ingenious plan of connecting his room with the external atmosphere by 
means of a rubber tube which enabled him to control the supply. Much assistance 
may be derived from a funnel-shaped hood inverted over the galley, which will in- 
crease the draught and conduct away the smell and moisture of the cookiug. No 
apprehension need be felt from the bilges eliminating odorous or deleterious gases 
during the winter, as decomposition will be stayed by the low temperature; and in 
case of sickness, faecal emanations should be avoided by the us v of earth-closets. 

A troublesome quality of the air of the living apartments of Arctic ships is damp- 
ness, proceeding from several causes : from the cutaneous exhalations of the men — 



126 APPENDIX. 

and the quantity of this may bo appreciated when it is remembered that an ordinary 
sized person eliminates from 25 to 40 ounces of moisture a day, containing '24(» grains 
of organic matter — and from the cooking operations, which being necessarily con- 
ducted below will supply no inconsiderable amount. 

These are the constant sources; and then again dampness may be engendered by 
neglecting to dry the clothing of working parties, or by introducing the hammocks 
from the low temperature of the upper deck, for the moment they are brought into 
the warm air of the berth deck they speedily become wet, and hence the necessity of 
stowing them below whenever the thermometer falls under zero. Men returning from 
work should divest themselves of their clothing in the drying room set apart for the 
purpose before passing to the living-deck. All exposed metal surfaces should be 
covered with leather, or protected with a coating of cork composition, which will 
effectually prevent deposits upon them. The excess of moisture dripping from the 
beams should be removed with cloths promptly and regularly, which will greatly 
contribute to both comfort and health." It may be necessary, in order to avoid 
wetting of the bedclothes in the bunks, to protect them from the dripping by con- 
ducting the water away by a canvas overhang. Various special devices have been 
adopted by Arctic explorers to eliminate the evils of condensation Lieutenant 
Berry, of the "Rodgers," informs me that, in his opinion, the officers' and men's 
quarters should be surrounded by air spaces, and overhead there should be at least two 
feet of non conducting material, which, with the warm draughts recommended, will, 
he thinks, exclude all da > pness. If possible, a house within a house, with the thick 
roof referred to, he is sure would attain the object desired. Sir John Ross caused 
apertures to be made in the upper deck above the galley, oven, and after passages, 
and over these iron tanks were inverted, into which the vapor passed, became con- 
densed, and was removed in the shape of frozen masses amounting to as much as a 
bushel a day. To effect the same purpose, dry chloride of lime may be used; five 
pounds of this exposed on the deck will produce a very sensible effect on the humid- 
ity of a closed apartment in three hours. It has been suggested placing metallic 
plates in the hatchways to act as condensers. Another important mean in prevent- 
ing the deposition freezing, as well as to maintain the heat, is to line the sides of the 
living-deck with a non-conducting imperishable cloth; in the Nares expedition the 
fabric known as "fearnaught" was employed. 

In order to increase the air space of the living-deck, it has been proposed to build 
about the hatchways, including a space around them, snow walls with a roofing. 
The area thus inclosed being cut off from the outer air, free communication could be 
kept up with the lower deck by removing the hatch covering. On the " Jeannette" 
the men's quarters consisted of the forecastle and the deck-house. The forecastle was 
not roomy, but it contained twenty berths, arranged on each side and amidships. On 
either side of the old galley-room, which was situated immediately abaft the forecastle, 
there were two small rooms, each of which berthed two petty officers. The two Chi- 
nese lived in a portion of the cook-house, which was fitted with two berths. The 
deck-house was put up early in the fall, and it afforded a good place in which the 
men could work and smoke. 

A hatchway was located just abaft the forecastle, and adjacent to the petty offi- 
cers' rooms, and made them so cold that they acted as condensing apartments for the 
moist, warm air of the forecastle, thus rendering them very uncomfortable for their 
occupants, who had frequently to dry off the wet beams and bulkheads. These quar- 
ters were heated by one large cylindrical stove, the furnace of which was filled in 
with tiles so that the body of the fire was very small. Twenty-five pounds of coal 
per day were allowed. There was another such stove in the deck-house that was used 
for drying out when the forecastle became very damp. 

The ventilation of the forecastle was effected by two doors in the after bulkhead 
and by a small circular skylight at the forward end. The skylight was fitted with a 
double tube about 3| inches in diameter, perforated and arranged so that it could 
be opened or shut. 

Each day at 11 a. m. the forecastle doors were thrown open, the skylight removed, 
and the cover in the deck-house roof immediately above the skylight was taken off to 
give free egress to the heated air. 

The place remained open and empty until 1 p. m., when the crew returned from ex- 
ercise. When the thermometer was below minus 30° F., this mode of ventilation 
was only partially carried out. During the rest of the day the constant opening and 
shutting of the doors, the draught of the stove, aud the small tube aiforded sufficient 
ventilation. 

At 10 p. m. each day the surgeon visited the forecastle to record thermometers (wet 
and dry bulbs), and he always looked out for ventilation. In very cold or in windy 
weather the small anger holes in the doors would be found plugged by the men. 

The surgeon frequently tested the air of the forecastle. The amount of carbon 
dioxide was about the same as that found in the quarters of men-of-war. 

The forecastle was lighted by a box lamp at the forward end and by candles and 
small hand-lamps on the tables. Olive oil was used. 



APPENDIX. 127 

The officers' quarters consisted of a cabin and ward-room. The former was a poop- 
deck cabin, which contained on the starboard side, counting from forward, first, the 
captain's room; second, the chart and work room, in which the chronometers, books, 
instruments, &c, were kept; and third, a water-closet and bath-room (the latter not 
useful after the ship entered the ice). On the port side was situated, first, the ex- 
ecutive officer's room; second, the dispensary ; third, the work-place of the naturalist 
and taxidermist; also a place for the meteorologist; fourth, the dark room for pho- 
tographic work. Abaft of all was the tiller-room, which formed a very important 
condensing chamber. The midship portion of the cabin, which was about nine feet 
wide and thirty feet long, extending from the forward bulkhead to the propeller well, 
was used as a mess and living apartment by all the officers. 

The cabin was heated by one large cylindrical stove, like the one in the forecastle, 
had furnace bricked up .similarly, and the same allowance of coal (twenty-five pounds) 
was used. There were five small ports (six inches in diameter) on each side, three of 
which could be opened and shut, and two were covered with fixed glass plates. A 
small skylight abaft the mizzen-mast was fitted with a tube similar to the one already 
described. The cabin was lighted by an ordinary Walton lamp and by caudles. The 
ward-room was situated directly below the cabin. It was small, and contained four 
''small rooms and two berths, arranged as follows, counting from forward : Starboard 
side — navigator's room, with small store-room attached; naturalist's berth, surgeon's 
room. Port side — meteorologist's room, ice pilot's berth, chief engineer's room. For- 
ward of the ward-room a large store-room was situated. The hatchway, a venti- 
lating scuttle abaft the mizzen-mast, and a series of auger holes bored through the 
deck above each room and berth, afforded the means of ventilation. There was a 
large stove in the ward-room country, which was used every Saturday evening for 
melting snow and warming up the place so that the officers could bathe with more 
comfort. It made everything so damp by thawing the frost and snow that had col- 
lected during the previous week that its use was discontinued. 

The following means were employed for ventilation: From 11 a. m. to 1 p. m. each day 
the cabin was open for ventilation, except when the temperature was below minus 30° F., 
when the rule was slightly modified. On one occasion a pocket anemometer was used, 
and it was found that the out-going warm current had a velocity of 122 feet per 
minute, and that the cross-section was about one-third of the doorway space. The 
incoming heavy cold current had a velocity of 78 feet, and a cross section equal to 
about two-thirds of the doorway space. 

An interchange of warm and cold currents also took place in the skylight tube. On 
several occasions experiments were made with thermometers, and it was found that 
while the upper spaces of the cabin were at 50° F., the thermometer near the deck 
was at the freezing point. When the temperature showed 60° on the bulkhead, about 
five feet above the deck, the lower portion of the cabin atmosphere was very cold, 
and every one suffered with cold feet. There was very little vertical circulation be- 
low an imaginary plane passing through the bed of the fire, and it is suggested that 
in heating Arctic ships that the apparatus be placed as low as possible so that the 
rising columns of warm air will heat the spaces just above the floor. It would seem 
that steam pipes arranged near the floor as in the Pullman cars would be the best mode 
of heating. 

The tiller-room was an important adjunct to the cabin, for it was a very efficient 
condenser. The cook-house should be apart from the quarters, as the amount of steam 
would make the latter very uncomfortable by liquifying on cold surfaces. The light- 
ing should be with the best quality of oil in the market, such as Pratt's astral oil or 
mineral sperm oil. As these oils are derived from petroleum, and are explosive, some 
people might prefer a vegetable oil, such as rape seed, which gives a very brilliant 
light with a French moderator. Stearine candles were found very useful. The elec- 
tric light cannot at present be employed unless there should happen to be a coal mine 
near by. 

Cleanliness both of the ship and crew must be maintained as an important auxil- 
iary to health. The deck should be cleansed with hot w r ater and quickly dried by 
rubbing ; and great advantage will accrue from shellacking or painting the decks thor- 
oughly, which will prevent the absorption of moisture by the wood and at the same 
time render the cleansing more speedy and effectual. An apartment should be specially 
set apart for the ablutions of the crew, and this is best located on the lower deck, 
where hot water may be attainable. Bathing should be in; de compulsory at least 
once in two weeks. Professor Newcomb stated to me that " the officers of the 'Jean- 
necte' bathed more frequently than he did. They also seemed to suffer, or at least to 
complain more of the cold. He bathed his feet, often took a dry rub, and kept clean 
underclothes. With the exception of being poisoned by eating canned tomatoes he 
was not sick a day, ate and slept well, and not only weighed more than ever before, 
but averaged it up to the loss of the ship." The clothing of the crew should be washed 
at stated intervals, once in ten days or two weeks, in the room appropriated for the 
purpose, and under no circumstances should this work be allowed on the living deck, 



128 APPENDIX. 

to supply additional moisture. The bedding may be aired once a month. The men 
should bo provided with a comfortable water-closet, which can be reached from the 
main deck when this is housed over, as is always done in winter quarters. It may 
be constructed of light materials, projecting from the side of the ship; and to exclude 
draughts and cold the snow may be built quite up to the platform, forming a sort of 
well. When cleansing becomes necessary the frozen mass of fecal deposits may be 
removed with the snow, and a new snow wall raised as hefore. In this connection it 
may he mentioned that during .sledging operations the warm snow hut or tent occu- 
pied the night previous for sleeping quarters will serve in the morning for latrine 
purposes before resuming the march. This convenience will be fully appreciated with 
a temperature, perhaps, of 50° or 70° below zero. 

Regulated exercise is indispensable for the maintenance of health under all cir- 
cumstances. Professor Newcomb says " it is a most important measure, and that hot 
tea to remove the cold lump often felt in the stomach after exercising is an excelleut 
remedy." The intense cold and other incidents of Arctic residence, especially during 
the long, dark winter, dispose to inaction, and hence the necessity of inciting the 
crew to take a sufficient amount of body exercise to ward off disease. The ordinary 
routine of ship life will usually supply ample range for this purpose in the manifold 
labors demanded of nariuers. In winter quarters, when ship-hoard work slackens,' 
the men should be encouraged to employ their time in hunting or amusing them- 
selves in pastimes that demand muscular energy. The cooks and servants particularly, 
who are not usually called upon for active labor, should be looked after and compelled 
to take open-air exercise. It may be stated, in general terms, that at least live or six 
hours daily should be occupied in this way, to maintain robust health under the con- 
ditions of Arctic life. This sort of training, so necessary to health, may be turned to 
practical advantage by making short journeys and establishing outlying depots of 
provisions and stores before the sledging season sets in, when the greatest drafts will 
be made upon the physical energies. 

While moderate and regular exercise in labor or amusement, as indicated, conduces 
to health, and powerfully aids the system in warding off scurvy, it must be borne in 
mind that excess iu this particular is equally capable of prostrating the vital powers 
and inviting scurvy, hence the need of great prudence and judgment not to overtax 
the men in long journeys, but, to give them spells of rest to recruit their strength and 
energy; nor is it advisable in starting from a ship to press those unaccustomed to 
hard work in the early days of traveling, as continuous moderate labor is less wear- 
ing than sudden and severe strains. For a healthy man a journey of nine or ten 
hours is not too much ; equivalent to about 350 foot-tons. By the adoption of this 
plan long distances have been accomplished by persons worn out by depressing in- 
fluences of cold and disease. Whenever the exigencies of service demand extraordi- 
nary and long-sustained exertions, as frequently occur in Arctic experiences, as in 
breaking through the hummocks and in making roads, extra rations of tea or cocoa 
should be issued. 

Great judgment should be exercised iu graduating the weights of the sledge loads to 
the strength of the men and the nature of the ice to be traveled over. Under favorable 
circumstances 200 pounds on the short, and 240 pounds on the long sledges are proper, 
but no very great distance can be accomplished when the weight exceeds 220 pounds. 
Upon smooth roads the dogs can be depended on for material help in dragging, each 
animal being weighted to 100 pounds, or about one-half of a good average pull for a 
man. For rapid progress, as in exploration, or in the event of the necessity for quick 
communication between distant points, snow shoes of the Canadian pattern will fur- 
nish the least fatiguing means ; for sledge dragging they are useless. 

As regular clothing, stout woolen underwear is recommended as possessing more 
advantages than garments made of other fabrics, although persons of experience in 
Arctic service have used with satisfaction materials of chamois and silk. For coat 
and trowsers, a fine textured, thick and elastic material should be employed, and, 
when occasion demands, these should be supplemented by the warm and durable 
garments of fur, such as used by the Esquimaux. 

Ross says that in the way of clothing every expedient should be adopted for resist- 
ing the impressions of the extreme temperature; nothing will, however, compensate 
for the want of the heat-generating energy, and external heat is but too often an 
imperfect expedient. " It is of little use to clothe him who will not in himself pro- 
duce heat; it is like the attempt to warm a piece of ice by means of a blanket. The 
mistake is too common that the expedient which cau only preserve heat is capable 
of producing it." 

In sledging parties, the head can best be protected by a close-fitting woolen cap, 
shielding the ears, and over this the usual seal-skiu covering. The feet should be 
enveloped by w r oolen stockings reaching above the knee, covered with flannel or 
blanket wrappers, and over these boots, or preferably skin moccasins of the Esqui- 
maux, fitted with leggings. For the hands, woolen mittens with seal-skin outer 
covering will serve all the purposes of convenience and comfort. Much satisfaction 
will be derived from the use of a wide flaunel roller encircling the belly. The Esqui- 



APPENDIX. 129 

mau wears next his body a shirt made of bird-skins, neatly sewed together with the 
soft down inwards; over this a loose jumper of fox skin, which is tight around the 
neck when the hood is attached to it. The juniper is lined with bird-skins and 
trimmed with fox fur. The breeches are made of bear-skin, reaching down to the knees 
and upwards so far as just to be in contact with the juniper when the person stands 
erect. In stooping the body is exposed between the two garments. Bird-skin socks 
are worn with a padding of grass, and over the whole bear-skin boots. 

Professor Newcomb, in regard to clothing, remarks in a private letter, "Your 
suggestions about clothing are good. I did not try chamois or silk, but found woolen 
underclothes to answer well ; in fact, where working facilities are so poor I think 
undergarments made partly from cotton will answer better, shrink less, and are 
more durable. Cotton and woolen stockings are much more serviceable than all wool, 
and are warm. I have arrived at this conclusion after trying all kinds. Exterior 
fur clothing I consider indispensable. Reindeer is warmest. S<al-skin is strongest, 
and will stand more wetting. In extreme cold I used deer-skin and young hair-seal 
stockings or foot-nips inside my boots, but over my other stockings, Avhich latter 
would have been better had they covered the knees. My head-gear was similar to that 
which you suggest. My mittens were made gauntlet fashion, with woolen linings, 
fur-seal backs, and buckskin palms. Condensation would occur, and until I lined the 
palms with mink-skin they would freeze in very cold weather, eveu on the hands, par- 
ticularly if the position of the arm was such as to induce the flow of blood back 
from the fingers. The best cold-weather mitten is used by the Tuuguses in .Siberia. 
This mitten is made with an opening in the front below the palm. By this arrange- 




Arctic Glove. 

Sketch showing the hand out, ready for use; "a" is lanyard to hang it up. 

ment one can readily uncover the thumb and fingers without exposing the whole hand. 
I can indorse this mitten from experience." 

Lieutenant Daneuhower states that "the blanket-lined canvas suits used by the 
miners, stage-drivers, and prospectors on the Pacific slope were found to be very good 
and serviceable, especially for summer work, when the canvas turns the water. The 
underclothing should be of heavy flannel, doubled about the chest. The fur garments 
for winter use should be deer-skin frocks, seal or deer-skin trousers, with seal-skin 
boots." 

The men should be protected by water-proof tenting that will not crack or become 
damaged when subject to wet and freezing. The experience of the Nares expedition 
showed engine-room sheet insertion to be well adapted to this purpose. Attention 
should be paid to the character and adaptability of the knapsack, which should be 
manufactured out of such material as will not crack with the low temperature nor 
permit dampness or water to gain access to the clothing and other articles contained 
therein. Professor Newcomb writes: "The kuapsacks provided for our use would 
not stand water. I improvised one from a pair of oil-cloth pants of the ordinary 
kind in use among fishermen about Cape Ann. Sewing up the bottom strongly, I 
stowed my belongings in the same, and, tying it up securely with a rope-yarn, I 
rigged a rope to sling it across the shoulders. I used to grease it outside whenever a 
seal was shot. It worked. admirably. Some improvements may be suggested, but 
for keeping things dry, and for this particular kind of work, there was nothing in 
camp that excelled it." 

The Siberian dress consists of fur socks over the ordinary ones, fur stockings out- 
side the socks, and fur boots inclosing all. Over the ordinary dress they wear a 
sheep-skin coat, with the wool outside, and fastening tight about the neck. Outside 
of this a deer-skin coat reaching to the ground, with a broad collar and long sleeves. 

Not less notably in Arctic life is the character of the mental and moral impressions 
for good or for evil. Cheerfulness should be cultivated by all practical means, and 
intellectual tastes catered to by such diversions as are readily attainable by develop- 
ing the various qualities possessed by the men composing the ship's company. Theat- 
rical displays, orations, recitations, and musical entertainments are among the most 



130 APPENDIX. 

advantageous methods that can be had recourse to for the purpose of counteracting 
the tendency to mental despondency so common during the season of Arctic darkness, 
and from which, according to Kane, the dogs themselves are not exempt. Professor 
Newcomb says, "Too much value cannot be attached to anything (within reason) 
which assists to keep up a healthy mental and moral influence. A contented mind 
is said to he a continual least, and I think a properly tilled stomach does much 
towards supplementing this influence." 

The sanitary precautions above all others in importance to sojourners iu high lati- 
tudes refer to food supplies. In cjonsequenee of the absence of wood and other fuel 
in the regions over which the Esquimaux roam, they have no means of creating arti- 
ficial warmth other than that afforded by burning blubber in a stone lamp trimmed 
with a wick of moss. This heat, with that radiated from the bodies of the persons 
occupying the hut of snow or stones chinked with moss, sustains a temperature under 
which the ordinary household duties are performed without apparent inconvenience 
or discomfort. On the other hand, the families while traveliug from point to point, 
and the men while out hunting on the ice, are exposed for many hours to a tempera- 
ture often reaching minus 70°, and yet rarely succumb to this intense cold. 

This endurance and resistance to cold is in great part due to the large amount of ani- 
mal food, particularly of the hydro-carbonaceous sort, consumed. The quantity is al- 
most incredible. Captain Cochrane says, in his " Journey through Siberia," that he 
has repeatedly seen a Yakute or a Tougousi devour forty pounds of meat in a day ; that 
he has seen three of these gluttons consume a reindeer at one meal ; nor are they nice 
as to the choice of parts, nothing being lost, not even the contents of the bowels, 
which, with the aid of fat and blood, are converted into black puddings. Dr. Hayes 
has often seen an Esquimau hunter, when preparing for the hunt, eat from six to 
twelve pounds of meat, about a third of which was fat, and he places the daily con- 
sumption of the man at from twelve to fifteen pounds. The food is mostly taken raw. 
Dr. Rae states that during his service in the Arctic regions the allowance for a man 
was eight pounds of fresh venison; four pounds for a woman; and two pounds for 
each child. When the water afforded supplies, three large whitefish were allowed 
a man, two to a woman, and one to a child; these fish ranged from three to four 
pounds each. Failure in the proper quantity aud quality of these is sure to impair 
the strength of the men and invite disease, especially when conjoined with absence 
of sunlight, dampness, impure air, low temperature, defective cleanliness, want of 
exercise, and mental despondency. The diet should be varied as the circumstances 
of the situation will admit, and should consist of a due proportion of animal and veg- 
etable food. 

Lieutenant Berry reports to me the interesting fact that the Tchoutches use no 
salt in their food, and will detect its presence when a white man will not. Rations 
of fresh meats should be served out from the regular supplies as often as four times 
a week. This may be done oftener with advantage when such food can be procured 
by the chase; any opportunity presenting for such extrinsic supplies should be em- 
braced with a view of economizing the ordinary provisions, and as affording materials 
preventive of scurvy. Such supplies are offered by the musk ox, polar bear, rabbits, 
ptarmigan, and the various species of water fowl and their eggs. There are persons 
to whom the, flavor and smell of the flesh of the ox are extremely distasteful, especially 
that of the old bulls; the flesh of the cows is, in this respect, much less objectionable. 
The seal, walrus, porpoise, and whale may also be depended upon as valuable sources 
of fresh meat which usually need no particular means of preservation as long as the 
temperature remains below the freezing point. Dr. Kane noted the fact, however, that 
the flesh of a deer killed by his men became nearly uneatable from putrefaction, and 
the liver and intestines utterly so, in 24 hours, and remarks that the rapidity of such 
a change in a temperature as low as minus 35° seems curious; but the Greenlanders 
say that extreme cold is rather a promoter than otherwise of the putrefactive process. 
Esqumaux are in the habit, even in the severest weather, of withdrawing the viscera 
immediately after death and filling the cavity with stones. 

The flesh of these animals has a peculiar flavor, a repugnance for which requires 
time, perseverance, and a good appetite to overcome in certain persons, while others 
care little about it and consume their rations with a zest. The food from these sources 
isbelieved by the whalemen to be superior to that obtained from the reindeer iu ward- 
ing off scurvy. Walrus meat and the skin of the narwhal enjoy a high reputation 
among the Esquimaux as anti-scorbutics, the natives of Disco using these in connec- 
tion with scurvy-grass and the Angelica officinalis. Soups should never be substituted 
for meats, but may be appropriately used as adjuncts. Professor Newcomb writes, 
14 1 agree with you in saying 'soups should never be substituted for meat.' The sen- 
sation of being comfortably full is one which, after my experience on the ' Jeannette' 
party retreat, I most heartily indorse." 

A common Russian article of diet called pilmania, much used in Siberian traveling, 
consists of meat made into balls and covered with an envelope of dough ; it is carried 
dry in bags. A double handful dropped into a gallon of water is boiled for a few min- 
utes and makes a substantial soup or stew. 

For sledge journeying and traveling it is all important to reduce the weight of the 



APPENDIX. 131 

food supplies to the least amount compatible Avith the work to he done, and hence 
the necessity for highly concentrated preparations. To supply this desideratum the 
natives of the northwest dry their venison by exposing thin slices to the heat of the 
sun on a stage under which a small tire is kept, more for the purpose of driving away 
the flies by the smoke than for promoting exsiccation, and then they pound it between 
two stones on a bison hide. In this process the pounded meat is contaminated by a 
greater or smaller admixture of hair and otber impurities. The meat, in drying, loses 
more than three-fourths of its original weight. 

The Hudson Bay Company prepare pemmiean by drying venison or buffalo meat 
over a tire or in the sun, which, after pounding, is mixed with an equal weight of 
melted or boiled fat; the whole is then packed in the skin of the animal furnishing 
the meat. Occasionally a fruit, known as saskatum, or service-berry, is added. 

Richardson, in setting out on his boat expedition through Rupert's Land in 1851, 
was supplied with a superior preparation of concentrated food. It was prepared in 
the following manner: A round of bullock or beef, of the best quality, having been 
cut into thin steaks from which the fat and membranous parts were pared away, was 
dried in a malt-kiln over an oak fire until its moisture was entirely dissipated and the 
fiber of the meat became friable. It was then ground in a malt-mill, the resultant 
powder was mixed with nearly an equal weight of melted suet or lard, and to render 
it more agreeable to the unaccustomed palate a proportion of the best Zante currants 
was added to a part of it, and part was sweetened with sugar. After the ingredients 
were incorporated by stirring they were transferred to tin canisters and rammed dowu, 
and the air was completely expelled and excluded by filling the canister to the brim 
with melted lard through a small hole left in the end, which was then covered with a 
piece of tin and soldered, up. This process of preparing pemmiean was adopted by 
Hall as entirely satisfactory ; the article supplied the United States ship Rodgers was 
manufactured in a similar manner. 

In the last English expedition two kinds of pemmiean were furnished, the plain and 
the sweet; the plain made of beef cut into tbin slices, the fat and coarse fiber having 
been removed, and dried slowly for twenty-four hours on oak sawdust spread on a floor 
heated from below. By this process 70 per cent, of water was gotten rid of, and the 
dried meat was then ground to a powder and mixed with clarified suet in the following 
proportions: Powdered meat, 4 pounds; suet, 4 pounds; cayenne pepper, one-eighth 
of an ounce. Sweet pemmiean differs from this in containing one-half pouud of sugar. 

Of the physiological value of pemmiean as a food, De Chaumont gives the following 
analysis as the mean of the two kinds : Nitrogen, 5.283 grains per cent. ; carbon, 61.112 
grains per cent.; nitrogen to carbon = l: 11.6. 

In a ration of one pound : Nitrogen, 370 grains ; carbon, 4.278 grains. Potential 
energy of one pound, 3,338 foot tons. 

Water 8. 285 

Albuminates 33.646 

Fat .' 53.391 

Carbo-hydrates 2.740 

Salt 1.544 

Total 99.606 

Loss , 0.394 

Total 100.000 

With the animal food regular rations of fresh or canned vegetables and fruits should 
be served. Among the best of these are potatoes, either fresh, desiccated, or preserved 
in molasses — the latter are the best ; cabbage, particularly in the form of sauerkraut ; 
turnips, carrots, soused pickles, aud onions. Variety may be gained by adding beets, 
okra, asparagus, and rhuharb. Among the fruits rauk oranges, lemons, limes, pre- 
served apples, peaches, grapes, cranberries, currants, and gooseberries. These should 
be expressly canned immediately before the voyage." The best charcoal tin should be 
used, and not the ordinary (" B v ") tin of commerce, which contains a large propor- 
tion of lead, and makes the danger of lead poisoning greater. 

There should be a good allowance of cayenne pepper, condiments, and appetizing 
sauces to relieve the sameness of the Arctic diet, and to render it palatable. Codfish, 
bacon, pork, and beans make an agreeable change with the canned meats. 

One of the most valuable antiscorbutic substitutes for fresh, succulent vegetables 
is lime-juice, which should be supplied the men daily in the quantity of one ounce 
mixed with an equal weight of sugar. It is recommended that the issue of lime-juice 
begin after leaving port, when the supplies of fresh vegetables have been exhausted, 
and that an officer should see that each man has taken the prescribed quantity. This 
last suggestion is important, since, if it is left to individual caprice or fancy, it may 
be neglected ; acid wines and spruce beer (the latter may he prepared on shipboard) 
are valuable agents in preventing scurvy. It is of much importance to supply the 
men, if possible, with fresh bread made from new flour preserved in tin canisters her- 
metically sealed. 



132 APPENDIX. 

It may he well to note the fact, in the event of Iosh or expenditure of the ordinary 
supplies of Bncoulent vegetable food and antiscorbutics, that, in the highest regions 
yet attained, there may be found plants possessing, in some degree, antiscorbutic 
power, such as scurvy grass, sorrel, reindeer moss, and others; but neither large nor 
regular supplies can be obtained. 

The same remark also applies to the two most easily cultivable annuals, cress and 
mustard, as the dearth of room and the deteriorating influence of darkness impose 
restrictions upon their quantity and quality. They have to be put alongside of the 
Stoves, and require from sixteen to eighteen days to grow, presenting a yellow instead 
of the usual green color of the healthy plants. During the summer, however, when 
it is reasonably warm — say, July — lettuce, onions, peas, and other plants may be suc- 
cessfully cultivated in the open air, and for this purpose light frames should be made 
use of. 

It is very desirable that an abundance of various seeds should be furnished the 
Arctic ships for horticultural purposes. 

The Esquimaux eat the contents of the stomach of the reindeer, -which are com- 
posed in paf't of vegetable matter, and doubtless contributes to their exemption from 
scurvy. The Arctic whalemen attribute great virtue To the blood of freshly-slaughtered 
animals. Other reputed antiscorbutic remedies, as citric, tartaric, and malic acids, 
which form one-twelfth part by weight of lime-juice, and the alkaline salts of these 
acids should be furnished the ships with the view of determining their influence, 
should suitable opportunities offer. The indispensable necessity of lime-juice in the 
sledging parties, and the difficulties of carrying and preparing it for use, induced the 
suggestion of combining the juice and pemmican in the proportion of one ounce to a 
pound of the latter. A large quantity of this preparation was furnished for use in the 
sledging parties of the "Rodgers," but this vessel was lost before its value could be 
tested. The pemmican is greatly improved in taste and flavor, and will, it is believed, 
be more assimilable. This is an important advantage, as there are persons who can- 
not eat the ordinary article. 

To avoid delay and labor under similar circumstances in serving out the food, it is 
recommended that single rations of articles, particularly tea, which should be com- 
pressed, shall be prepared before the sledges leave the ship. All food, when possible, 
should be taken hot. 

Au admirable article of lime-juice, prepared by evaporation in shallow earthenware 
pans, at a temperature not exceeding 140°, was furnished the "Rodgers" for traveling 
parties. It presents the consistence of a semi-solid, and when dissolved possesses the 
properties of the juice unimpaired. Each pound represents a gallon of the solution 
of the ordinary strength, so that this quantity contained in a sealed tin cau will sup- 
ply proper rations for eight men sixteen days. A single ration, when frozen, will not 
exceed a walnut in bulk, and may be then carried in a canvas bag or capsule, and 
when needed can be melted, if there be a scarcity of fuel, by the warmth of the body 
in the sleeping bag. The plain juice freezes at + 25° Fah. ; that fortified with 10 per 
cent, of spirits at -f- 15°. Preserved potatoes may also be transported dry in bags. 
Edwards' prepared potato was used in the Nares expedition, and was generally liked 
by the men ; after slight boiling it was ready for use. 

The following tables show the sledge ration of the Nares expedition, and the pro- 
posed one : 



British dietary. 



Proposed dietary. 



Lbs. Ozs. Lbs. Ozs. 

Per day, per man : 

Pemmican 1 

Biscuit 14 

Bacon * 4 



Per dav, per man: 
Lime juice \ combined 
Pemmican 5 ""*<*«• 



Biscuit 14 

Potato 2 i Cheese 2 

Bum (fluid ounces) 2\ Dried potato 4 

Chocolate 1 I Dried onions \ 

Sugar for chocolate J Tea 1 

Teat \ ' Sugar 2 

Suaarfortea l| Condensed milk 1 

Stearine 3 * Alcohol or petroleum (fluid ounces) 4 

Spirits of wine 1 Tobacco \ 

Tobacco k Salt i 

Salt I Pepper ^j 

71 

Total weight 2 13.5 



Pepper ^ Curry powder i 

Onion or curry powder | 



Total weight 2 14.9 



* Increased in some cases to 6 ounces, at request, in lieu of pemmican. 
t Double allowance of tea was carried in lieu of rum. 

* Four fluid ounces alcohol of 75 per cent, will weigh about 3J oz. avoirdupois. Average load hauled 
by each man on leaving ship, 234$ pounds. 



APPENDIX. 13 

It will be observed that spirits have been altogether omitted from the proposed 
dietary, tea having been decided by an immense majority of Arctic travelers to be more 
advantageous as a comforting and strengthening beverage, and upon which more 
work can be done. The Siberian Russian drinks large quantities of hot tea while 
traveling, and many who are addicted to stimulating drinks while at home abstain 
altogether from them on the road, and drink nothing but tea. A convenient form of 
tea is known as " brick tea," which is compressed in bricks of two-pound weight, and 
which can be cut up as used. 

In Kane's experience the men, after repeated trials, preferred coffee in the morning 
and tea in the evening, the former seeming to be more enduring in its effects and de- 
laying hunger, while the latter was more soothing after hard work and disposing to 
sleep. There are important differences as to the action of the two agents according to 
Dr. Smith; while both are powerful respiratory excitants, increasing the elimination 
of the carbon dioxide, coffee causes specially an increase in the respiratory and cir- 
culatory rate, diminishes perspiration and thereby the loss of heat, and promotes the 
action of the bowels. Tea, on the other hand, lessens the force of circulation and per- 
spiration and cools the skin, and does not congest the mucous membran»es. Hence, 
in certain respects, coffee and tea are physiological antidotes of each other. It is sug- 
gested that the use of mate" and cocoa in emergencies requiring excessive exertion 
may prove advantageous; the extract, made up into pills, may be carried in the 
pocket. 

Rum was used in the Nares expedition, and a cheering influence attributed to it, 
taken after the day's labor when the men'had gotten into their sleeping bags. It was 
universally pronounced a failure in increasing working power and endurance. Hayes 
says he has known most unpleasant consequences to result from the injudicious 
use of whisky for the purpose of temporary stimulation, and strong able-bodied men 
to become utterly incapable of resisting cold in consequence of the long-continued 
use of jJcoholic drinks. Condensed milk and egg-powder are valuable additions to 
the sledge dietary. Eggs, hard boiled and preserved in vinegar, will keep for months. 
As regards tobacco, it has been observed that smoking tends to lessen the inclination or 
ability for work, but the fact of the difficulty of keeping the pipes going in open air 
will restrict this practice to the evening hours in camp. Chewing is regarded by 
some as antiscorbutic in a slight degree. 

Supplies of potable water are most commonly obtained by melting snow ; that from 
the old ice will be found the best. Two or three feet of the upper j)ortion of floebergs 
are fresh-water ice, and below this it becomes saline ; so that chemical tests should 
be constantly had recourse to in determining this point. Occasionally, on long jour- 
neys, which can only be made inland without boats, fresh pools are encountered, 
which will supply an abundance of sweet water. The use of snow is to be depre- 
cated, as rather tending to increase than to assuage thirst ; for one gets as thirsty in 
very cold as in tropical weather, and the temptation is strong to eat snow. The Es- 
quimaux, when compelled to use it, squeeze the snow in the hand, and breathe 
through the mass thus compressed, the warmth of the hand and expired air together 
producing water, which may then be sucked out. Dr. James M. Ambler, of the "Jean- 
nette," was very particular on this point, and recommended the use of distilled water, 
which was used during all the experience in the pack while aboard ship. There was 
no fresh- water ice in the vicinity. During the sled parties, and on the retreat, snow 
was used from the highest hummocks for cooking and drinking. The pool-water was 
too salty. 

On sledding expeditions suitable sleeping bags should be furnished. They aie best 
made of reindeer skin upon the under side, which is in contact with the ice, and of 
lighter materials upon the upper side. Their length may be the height of the persons 
using them and their shape somewhat that of the outline of the body, so as to avoid 
the extra weight of quadrangular bags. 

It is believed that a close adhesion to the sanitary suggestions now made will remove 
any fear of the occurrence of scurvy during the service of the United States steamers 
in the Arctic regions. 

In this connection it will be proper to call attention to the common diseases and 
injuries liable to occur, that they may be speedily recognized and treated by those in 
charge of the sledging parties when unaccompanied by a medical officer, as must 
necessarily often happen. 

Scurvy is one of the most redoubtable enemies of the Arctic resident. It consists 
of a peculiar alteration in the properties of the blood, which becomes impoverished 
in nourishing materials by errors in diet, the most immeasurably frequent of which 
is the absence of succulent vegetable matter. The disease begins insidiously, the 
skin assuming a yellowish or earthy hue; is dry, rough, and unperspiring. Dark-red 
or brownish flecks of small size and round outline break out on various parts of the 
body, and later the discoloration presents large purple blotches; the gums are ten- 
der, swollen, and of a dark color, bleed readily, and separate from the teeth ; pains 
in the joints of the legs, particularly in the hams, are generally complained of, and 



134 APPENDIX. 

are often confounded with rheumatism. There are muscular weakness and feeling of 
lassitude, ordinary exertion producing exhaustion, palpitation of the heart, and breath- 
lessness. The mind partakes in the general debility of the body and there is more or 
Less disposition to despondency. In the more confirmed stages of the disease, swell- 
ings occur in the hams ami other parts from the bloody and fibrinous effusions, and 
the bones and internal organs sutler in various degrees, 

These are the salient points in scurvy, and every precaution should be adopted to 
detect its presence at the earliest moment, especially by a periodical monthly exam- 
ination after the ships are settled in winter quarters. It should be remembered that 
paleness of the countenance is an inseparable circumstance in those who have spent 
a winter in the Arctic regions. There is nothing like acclimatizing a European, for 
experience has shown that in every expedition the crews have been more sickly the 
second than the first year. Middendorf asserts that the high north deteriorates the 
constitution of the blood, and that after three winters very few can stand the fourth. 
It is a familiar fact that continuous low temperature impairs the appetite and inter- 
feres with sleep. It was noticed by the officers of the Alert that during the winter 
when the moon was up, which lasted about a week each month, more food was con- 
sumed thau during the dark part of the month. This was at least in part due to the 
greater amount of exercise during moonlight. These facts militate against the suc- 
cess of the colonizing plan in Arctic exploration. It cannot, however, be doubted 
that much can be done in delaying the advance of this constitutional impairment and 
in supporting and prolonging the ability for active exertion in the Arctic regions 
by a close and persistent adhesion to the sanitary points alread^y fully dwelt upon, 
especially when the colonists are comfortably housed in well-lighted rooms. To what 
extent, if at all, the ordinary artificial or electrical lights can replace or substitute 
that from a solar origin in its action upon the process of nutrition, I am unable to say. 

It is particularly important to examine the men selected for sledging parties, to see 
that they are free from scorbutic taint, inasmuch as the hard work incident to this 
service would inevitably disqualify a person with such tendencies in a brief period, 
and embarrass the party with an invalid. The proper means of preventing this dis- 
ease have been already fully indicated. 

The most frequent trouble in the Arctic region is frost-bite. The men should be fre- 
quently asked if they perceive loss of sensation in any part of their bodies, as frost- 
bite may occur unawares, especially on a sudden rise of temperature. If on examin- 
ing the part it presents alteration in color to a dull waxy or purplish livid hue, with 
the formation of vesication or bladders, an effort should be made at once to restore 
the circulation slowly by frictions with the hands, or rubbing the part with melting 
snow, or plunging it into cold water for some time. Professor Newcomb found this 
about the best remedy. 

Lieutenant Berry writes me that the Tchoutches are always very careful to have all 
hand and foot gear as soft and pliable as possible, which permits the joints to play 
freely and promotes thereby circulation, rendering them' less susceptible to cold. Men 
unaccustomed to extreme cold are frequently frosted before they are aware of it. 
There is always a tingling sensation in the nose and cheeks just before freezing. The 
freezing can frequently be prevented by ungloving the hand and placing it over those 
parts for a short while. In severe weather the natives of Siberia will frequently be 
seen repeating this operation. 

When the nose or cheek is frozen the best method of thawing it out is the one de- 
scribed. The plan of rubbing on snow is erroneous, for before the frozen part thaws a 
portion of the snow is melted, and the part being wet, if in the open air, at once freezes 
again. When the circulation is established, dress with glycerine and cotton batting, 
and cover the whole with a bandage. Great care should, be taken not to use stimu- 
lating applications at first, otherwise acute inflammation, followed perhaps by mortifi- 
cation, will result. Should these efforts fail of success, the frost-bitten part should 
be dressed with carbolized cosmoline and cotton batting, and the patient made as com- 
fortable as possible, being placed, in case the legs and feet are affected, in a sledge. 
Lieut. F. Payer states that a mixture of iodine and collodion proved most efficacious 
against frost-bite during the Arctic voyage of the " Tegethoff" in 187*2. 

In very cold weather the face-cloth should be worn, and traveling by night adopted, 
as far as can be done, so as to enable the men to sleep during the day, when there is less 
likelihood, from the higher temperature, of frost-bite. It is advised, to prevent the 
effects of cold upon the exposed surfaces, to rub them with unctuous applications, as 
cosmoline. Professor Xewcomb tried a mixture of glycerine and burnt cork on exposed 
parts of the face and nose to prevent frost-bite. The results were good, though it looked 
dirty. To avoid the action of the cold drinkiug-vessels upon the lips, the rims should 
be rubbed with the gloved hand. 

The glare of the snow upon the eyes produces the condition known as snow-blind- 
ness, particularly in traveling during the spring and summer mouths. To prevent its 
occurrence, when the sun reappears the men should be provided with goggles of 
neutral-tinted glass ; and on the march or in sledging parties a dark patch may be 



APPENDIX. 135 

affixed to the backs of the men, upon which, when in line, the eyes may he directed 
instead of upon the snow. Professor Newcomb recommends that variously-colored 
garments be worn. The relief to the eyes thus obtained is very great. The lead- 
ing mm on the drag-ropes should be changed frequently to the rear, and the eyelids 
may be smeared with charcoal aud grease. Professor Newcomb says he also rubbed 
some of the mixture of glycerine and burnt cork about the eyelids to relieve the glare 
of light, and with some success. The treatment of this disease is cold applications, 
astringent and sedative colyria, and the exclusion of light by bandaging the eyes. 
Professor Newcomb noticed an unusual brittleness of the tinger-nails most of the time 
he was in the Arctic regions. 

Sometimes sledge labor causes exhaustion and fainting, and when a case of this 
sort occurs the person should be immediately placed upon his back, with the head 
low, and the clothes about the neck loosened. He should be given a little warm tea, 
a teaspoonful of aromatic spirits of ammonia or brandy, and allowed to rest for awhile. 
The occurrence of perfect unconsciousness and of complete exhaustion requires the 
person to be at once removed to the tents, rubbed with hot flannels, and the above- 
mentioned stimulants given from time to time until he recovers. He should then be 
dressed warmly and allowed to rest in his sleeping bag for a few hours. To meet the 
emergencies of accidents and diseases of a slight character which may occur in the 
sledging journeys, the officers in command should be instructed by the surgeon of the 
vessel in the application of simple means and furnished with suitable supplies for 
these purposes. 



EXHIBIT L. 

Washington, D. C. 
To the Honorable Robert T. Lincoln, 

Secretary of War : 

Dear Sir : We will build a steamer (bark-rigged), a duplicate of the steam whaler 
"Thrasher" (now in San Francisco, Cal.), and have her completed ready for service 
in three months from date of receiving the order. With the labor and material at our 
command, we could build this steamer in sixty days. We have a duplicate of the 
"Thrasher's" engines nearly completed. We have built five steamers for the Arctic 
whale-fishing, and the four that have been tried have proved able and efficient for the 
service. 

Mr. Frank Reynolds, of New York, has made four voyages into the Arctic in these 
steamers, and many of the improvements in strengthening of the " Thrasher " were by 
him, and he superintended her construction. Mr. Reynolds could furnish you valua- 
ble information, no doubt, as to the requirements of vessels for this service. 

The dimensions we propose to build are 144 feet measuring length ; 33 feet beam ; 
16 feet deep ; hold, 9 feet; between decks, 7 feet. The type of engines we have is 
same as we put in the " Thrasher," and the steamer " Jesse H. Freeman," which was 
examined by Commodore Jouett and one of the engineers of the Brooklyn Navy-Yard, 
and has their indorsement. They were built and designed by Messrs. C. H. Delamater 
& Co., of New York, and no pains or expense was spared to make them strong and 
efficient for Arctic service. They have two boilers of the Scotch type, with sufficient 
steam capacity to propel the boat ten knots on a consumption of seven tons coal per 
day. 

While the " Thrasher " was admitted to be the strongest and best adapted to the Arctic 
service of any vessel we have built, we should make some improvements to strengthen 
her bilges by braces, which could not be done in a whaler, as they would interfere 
with her storing capacity. We should also sheathe her with boiler-plate iron, say six 
feet wide (where she would take the ice), to abaft her main rigging. This vessel 
would have some canvas, as a bark without steam, and would work and sail as well 
with two-bladed propeller, which would be protected by stern-post when in the ice 
and not used. Her speed under canvas alone would be from 10 to 12 knots. These 
vessels work admirably under canvas in a narrow sea-way. 

As we have the plans and molds made and the timber in yard to commence on, we 
could lay the keel in five days from date of receiving the order. It would necessarily 
cost more to build this vessel in the limited time we should have, and our price would 
be $100,000 — same price as the Government paid us for the " Rodgers." We beg to refer 
you to Mr. Dingley, of Maine, who represents the district (where we build) in Con- 
gress, and is acquainted with our facilities and ability to perform what we undertake. 
Respectfully, yours, 

G. C. GOSS, 
Representing the Firm of Goss, Sawyer $- Packard, of Bath, Maine. 



136 APPENDIX. 

EXHIBIT M. 

[Special Orders No. 97. J 

War Department, Office of the Chief Signal Officer, 

Washington, D. C, June 17, 1881. 

I. By direction of the Secretary of War, the following-named officers and enlisted 
men are assigned to duty as the expeditionary force to Lady Fraukin Bay:* 

First Lieutenant A. W. Greely, 5th Cavalry, Acting Signal Officer and Assistant. 

Second Lieutenant Frederick F. Kislingbury, 11th Infantry, Acting Signal 0ffic8r. 

Second Lieutenant James B. Lockwood, 23rd Infantry, Acting Signal Office** 

Sergeant Edward Israel, Signal Corps, \J. S. Army. 

Sergeant Winfield S. Jewell, Signal Corps, U. S. Army. 

Sergeant George W. Rice, Signal Corps, U. S. Army. 

Sergeant David C. Ralston, Signal Corps, U. S. Army. 

Sergeant Hampden S. Gardiner, Signal Corps, U. S. Army. 

Sergeant William H. Cross, General Service, U. S. Army. 

Sergeant David L. Brainard, Co. L, 2nd Cavalry. 

Sergeant David Linn, Co. C, 2nd Cavalry. 

Corporal Daniel C. Starr, Co. F, 2nd Cavalry. 

Corporal Paul Grimm, Co. H, 11th Infantry. 

Corporal Nicholas Salor, Co. H, 2nd Cavalry. 

Corporal Joseph Elison, Co. E, 10th Infantry. 

Private Charles B. Henry, Co. E, 5th Cavalry. 

Private Maurice Connell* Co. B, 3rd Cavalry. 

Private Jacob Bender, Co. F, 9th Infantry. 

Private Francis Long, Co. F, 9th Infantry. 

Private William Whisler, Co. F, 9th Infantry. 

Private Henry Bierderbick, Co. G, 17th Infantry. 

Private Julius Fredericks, Co. L, 2nd Cavalry. 

Private James Ryan, Co. H, 2nd Cavalry. 

Private William A. Ellis, Co. C, 2nd Cavalry. 

II. In accordance with special instructions from the Secretary of War, Lieutenant 
Greely will contract at Disco, Greenland, with Octave Pavy, M. D., who will there- 
after remain on duty as Acting Assistant Surgeon, U. S. Army, with the expeditionary 
force. 

III. First Lieutenant A. W. Greely, 5th Cavalry, Acting Signal Officer and Assistant 
to the Chief Signal Officer, is hereby assigned to the command of the expedition, and 
is charged with the execution of the orders and instructions given below. He will 
forward all reports and observations to the Chief Signal Officer, who is charged with 
the control and supervision of the expedition. 

W. B. HAZEN, 
Brig. <£• Bvt. Maj. Gen' I, 

Chief Signal Officer, U. S. A. 

Official copy from the records of the Signal Office. 

W. B. HAZEN, 

Chief Signal Officer. 
1, 15, '84. 

[Instructions No. 72.] 

War Department, 
Office of the Chief Signal Officer, 

Washington, D. C, June 17, 1881. 

The following general instructions will govern in the establishment and manage- 
ment of the expedition, organized under Special Orders No. 97, War Department, 
Office of the Chief Signal Officer, Washington, D. C, dated June 17, 1881. 

The permanent statiou will be established at the most suitable point north of the 
eighty-first parallel and contiguous to the coal seam discovered near Lad} 7 Franklin 
Bay by the English expedition of 1875. 

After leaving St. John's, Newfoundland, except to obtain Esquimaux hunters, dogs, 
clothiug, &c, at Disco or Upernavik, only snch stops will be made as the condition 
of the ice necessitates, or as are essential in order to determine the exact location and 
condition of the stores cached on the east coast of Grinuell Land by the English ex- 

* Corporal Starr and Private Ryan relieved and returned in the "Proteus." Jans Edward (Eskimo), 
and Frederick Thorley Christiansen (half-breed), engaged at Proven, accompanied the expedition. See 
Greely to C. S. O., August 15, 1881, page 42. — Recobdek. 



APPENDIX. 137 

pedition of 1875. During any enforced delays along that coast it would be well to 
supplement the English depots by such small caches from the steamer's stores of pro- 
visions as would be valuable to a party retreating southward by boats from Robeson 
Channel. At each point where an old depot is examined or a new one established 
three brief notices will be left of the visit, one to be deposited in the cairn built or 
found standing, one to be placed on the north side of it, and one to be buried twenty 
feet north (magnetic) of the cairn. Notices discovered in cairns will be brought away, 
replacing them, however, by copies. 

The steamer should, on arrival at the permanent station, discharge her cargo with 
the utmost dispatch, and be ordered to return to St. John's, N. F., after a careful ex- 
amination of the seam of coal at that point has been made by the party to deter- 
mine whether an ample supply is easily procurable. A report in writing on this sub- 
ject will be sent by the returning vessel. In case of doubt, an ample supply must be 
retained from the steamer's stores. 

By the returning steamer will be sent a brief report of proceedings, and as full a 
transcript as possible of all meteorological aud other observations made during the 
voyage. 

After the departure of the vessel the energies of the party should first be devoted 
to the erection of the dwelling-house and observatories, after which a sledge party 
will be sent, according to the proposal made to the Navy Department, to the high 
land near Cape Joseph Henry. 

The sledging parties will generally work in the interests of exploration and discov- 
ery. ' The work to be done by them should be marked by all possible care aud fidelity. 
The outlines of coasts entered on charts will be such only as have actually beeu seen 
by the party. Every favorable opportunity will be improved by the sledging parties 
to determine accurately the geographical positions of all their camps, and to obtain 
the bearing therefrom of all distant cliifs, mountains, islands, &c. 

Careful attention will be given to the collection of specimens of the animal, min- 
eral, and vegetable kingdoms. Such collections will be made as complete as possible ; 
will be considered the property of the Government of the United States, and are to be 
at its disposal. 

Special instructions regarding the meteorological, magnetic, tidal, pendulum, and 
other observations, as recommended by the Hamburg International Polar Conference, 
are transmitted herewith.* 

It is contemplated that the permanent station shall be visited in 1882 and in 1883 by 
a steam sealer or other vessel, by which supplies for, and such additions to, the pres- 
ent party as are deemed needful will be sent. 

In case such vessel is unable to reach Lady Franklin Bay in 1882, she will cache a 
portion of her supplies and all of her letters and dispatches at the most uortherly 
point she attains on the east coast of Grinnell Land, and establish a small depot of sup- 
plies at Littleton Island. Notices of the locality of such depots will be left at one or 
all of the following places, viz, Cape Hawks, Cape Sabine, and Cape Isabella. 

In case no vessel reaches the permanent station in 1882, the vessel sent in 1883 will 
remain in Smith Sound until there is danger of its closing by ice ; and, on leaving, 
will laud all her supplies and a party at Littleton Island, which party will be pre- 
pared for a winter's stay, and will be instructed to send sledge parties up the east side 
of Grinnell Land to meet this party. If not visited in 1«82, Lieutenant Greely will 
abandon his station not later than September 1, 1883, and will retreat southward by 
boat, following closely the east coast of Grinnell Land until the relieving vessel is met 
or Littleton Island is reached. 

A special copy of all reports will be made each day, w T hich will be sent home each 
year by the returning vessel. 

The full narrative of the several branches will be prepared with accuracy, leaving 
the least possible amount of work afterwards to prepare them for publication. 

The greatest caution will be taken at the station against fire, and daily inspections 
made of every spot where fire can communicate. 

In case of any fatal accident or permanent disability happening to Lieutenant 
Greely the command will devolve on the officer next in seniority, who will be gov- 
erned by these instructions. 

W. B. HAZEN, 
Brig. $ Bvt. Maj. Gcn'l, Chief Signal Officer, U. S. A. 

Official copy from the records of the Signal Office. 

W. B. HAZEN, 

Cltief Signal Officer. 
1, 15, '84. 

* Not printed.— Recorder. 

10 



138 APPENDIX. 

(Telegram 6 W. Received at — , July 1, 1881, 10.45 a. ra., from St. John's, July 1.) 

To Signals, Wash'n : 

Letters mailed noon to-day reach us; shall make formal start July fourth, drop- 
ping down to anchorage in hay, awaiting one hundred packages freight due on 
Hibernian Wednesday. 



Official copy from the records of the Signal Office. 
Nov. 9, 1883. 



GREELY, Lkut. 

W. B. HAZEN, 

Chief Signal Officer. 



St. John's, N'f'd, July 5, 1881. 
My Dear General: We leave St. John's to-morrow, and I am glad to he on my 
way. We have had much to contend with here in a people with whom it is hardly 
possible to deal except by written contract. I get away, however, leaving little, if 
any, more money than I expected. I have had to duplicate some things here, fearing 
that the Allen steamer will not bring them. I bave tried to be as economical as I 
possibly could be, and hardly think that much can be charged to extravagant pur- 
chases. I would advise you by all means to seek proposals for next year's vessel im- 
mediately on the return of* the " Proteus." I am quite certain they will attempt to run 
up the price on us next year to $25,000, or perhaps more, but by good management a 
vessel should not cost to exceed, say, $20,000 as a limit, and possibly down to $15,000. 
I will write fully as to the " Proteus " on her return. I hope to have papers in shape to 
send estimates in some detail from Disco. The men are all behaving well, but the 
naval engineer man keeps very full of beer. We sail to-morrow, if the Hibernian 
gets in. I do not understand how such delays occurred in the forwarding of ammu- 
nition, photographic material, &c, all of which should have been here ten days since. 
A gloom has been cast over us by the terrible attempt on the President's life, hut I 
am somewhat encouraged by your welcome telegram. Give my kindest compliments 
to Mrs. Hazen. 

Faithfully and sincerelv yours, 

A. W. GREELY, 

U. S. Army. 
Official copy from the records of the Signal Office. 

W. B. HAZEN, 

Chief Signal Officer. 
Nov. 9, 1883. 



St. John's, N'f'd, July 6th, 1*81. 
Chief Signal Officer of the Army: 

Sir : Referring to the items for repairs of steam-launch u Lady Greely," No. 66, in the 
hills of Mr. Gemmel and J. & W. Stewart, who paid the last bill to save extra sets of 
vouchers ; I have to say that the machinery has proved thus far too slight and has 
broken three times without any extraordinary cause. She works very finely now, is 
an excellent sea-boat, and if the engine holds together will do well hereafter. 
I am, resp'y, y'rs, 

A. W. GREELY, 
1st Lt. 5 Car., A. S. 0. and AssH, Com'd'g L. F. B. Expedition. 

Official copy from the records of the Signal Office. 

W. B. HAZEN, 

Chief Signal Officer. 
Nov. 9, 1883. 



St. John's, N'f'd, July 7, 1881. 
Chief Signal Officer of the Army: 

Sir: I enclose herewith description of the " Proteus." She has broken her way 
through new ice over two feet thick the whole length of the harbor. She has been pro- 
nounced by the officers of the U. S. S. "Alliance" as the best ship for ice work they have 
ever seen. Every shipmaster and every man with whom I have conversed agree that 
there is no better vessel on this coast for such work ; one or two others are of the same 
build and probably as good. The captain is mentioned in the description. The mate, 
engineers, and crew are selected from the entire sealing crew of the firm. I might 



APPENDIX. 139 

add that the firm has not been able to effect any insurance, and are certain in no 
event to cover more than the hull. This may complicate the hiring of a vessel at this 
price next year. 

I am, resp'y, y'rs, 

A. W. GREELY, 
1st Lt. t 5 C, Ass't, Com'd'g. 

Official copv from the records of the Signal Office. 

W. B. HAZEN, 
Chief Signal Officer. 
Nov. 9, 1883. 



[Inclosure I.] 

The "Proteus" was built at Dundee, Scotland, io 1874; Alexander Stevens & Co. 
She is barkentine rigged, and has a gross tonnage of 619 tons and a registered ton- 
nage of 467 tons. Her register is British; dimensions as follows: 

Feet. 

Length over all 190 

Breadth of beam 29 

Depth of hold iy 

One pair compound engines, 25 and 50 in. cylinders, with 30-in. stroke ; one cylin- 
drical boiler, 13 ft. diameter and 10 ft. long ; three furnaces; horse-power, 110. The 
ship is built of oak, with a sheathing of "iron-wood" from above the water-line to 
below the turn of the bilge ; the prow armed with iron ; capacity 8£ knots an hour. 
Capt. Pike has made six sealing and whaling trips in this vessel on the Labrador and 
Newfoundland coasts encountering and breaking through ice each trip. He says the 
vessel is capable of breaking her way, with occasional backing to free herself, through 
new ice to the thickness of eighteen inches. The vessel was built expressly for this 
kind of work, as she is provided with a spare-rudder and two spare-screws and shafts. 

Official copy from the records of the Signal Office. 

W. B. HAZEN, 
Chief Signal Officer. 
Nov. 9, 1883. 



(Telegram received at 9,26, 1881, 9.54 a. m., from Disco, Greenland, July 18th, ? 81.) 

To Gen. Hazen, Wash'n, D. C. : 

Arrived Disco July sixteenth, nine p. m. Continuous northerly winds, with thick 
weather, lengthened passage, which was entirely unobstructed bv ice. Inspector 
Smith reports mild winter, with advances from Upernavik favorable to easy naviga- 
tion in Melville by Doctor Pavy and Henry Clay at Rittenbank. Well ; party all well. 
Advise all concerned. 

Leave Monday for Upernavik via Rittenbank. 

GREELY, 

„, _ Commanding. 

To Copenhagen. 

Official copy from the records of the Signal Office. 

W. B. HAZEN, 
Nov. 9, 1883. Chief Signal Officer. 



Rittenbank, Greenland, July 21s/, 1881 . 
To the Chief Signal Officer, U. S. A., 

Washington, D. C. 
Sir : I have the honor to report that the Lady Franklin Bay Expedition reached 
Rittenbank at 9.30 a. m., to-day. A Danish brig ready for sea permits this further 
report. At Godhavn Herr Krarup Smith, chief inspector of Northern Greenland, re- 
ceived me most kindly and promised all possible assistance. Unfortunately he was 
obliged to leave on a tour of inspection 12 hours after our arrival, ha vino- delayed his 
departure thus long on our account. 



140 APPENDIX. 

Through the kindness of his excellent wife I was, however, enabled to obtain a fair 
supply erf dogs, dog-meat, dried fish, and seal-skins, which had been negotiated for 
through the energy of Dr. O. Paw. Dr. Pavy was at Rittenbank on our arrival, but 
reached Godhavn the morning of July 20th. A contract at once was made with him 
to serve as act'g ass't surgeon of the expedition. We were prevented by fog from leav- 
ing Godhavn until 12.30 a.m.. July 21st, and arrived here, 60 miles distant, as stated 
above, having been delayed a short time by thick weather. A good set of observa- 
tions for time were obtained at Godhavn, p. m. of July 19th, a. m. of 20th, the only 
times on which the son was to be seen during our stay. 

Dr. Pavy has nine dogs, which makes, with the 12 bought, 21, and he has also three 
sledges and certain other trappings. He has also accumulated 3,500 lbs. of dried tish 
at this place. The arrangements made by Dr. Pavy at his own risk have been of 
marked benefit to the service, as a supply of dogs and food can rarely be obtained 
save by ordering in advance. 

Mr. Henry Clay has been hired to accompany the expedition to L. F. B., at a nominal 
salary of $15.00 dollais per month and a ration, as a signal service assistant. Acting 
on the advice of Herr Inspector Smith, arrangements for certain clothing, the two 
Esquimaux hunters, and the balance of dogs have been deferred until we reach Uper- 
navik, where I expect to find the inspector. 

I hope to leave here to-morrow morning, and, proceeding through the Waigat Strait, 
reach Upernavik by July 23d. In addition to the mildness of the winter, I have to 
report that the spring has been unusually early. Eveiything now seems to favor a 
fortunate journey northward. Lieut. Lockwood has been sent with four men to-day to 
obtain some birds from a " loomery " several miles distant from here. All officers and 
men are in the best of health. 

I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

A. W. GREELY, 
1st Lieut., 5th Cavalry, Act. Signal Officer and 

Assistant, Com'd'g L. F. B. Expedition. 

Official copy from the records of the Signal Office. 

W. B. HAZEN, 

Chief Signal Officer. 
Nov. 9, 1883. 



Upernavik, Greenland, July 26, 1881. 
Chief Signal Officer of the Army: 

Sir: I have to report that I have this day forwarded to your office duplicate con- 
tracts made with Octave Pavy, M. D., July 20, 1881, at Godhavn, Gd., to serve as 
Actg. Asst. Surg, of this expedition, for reference to the Surgeon-General ; also to 
the Adjutant-General, through you, a copy of oath administered to Dr. Pavy, on his 
entering on his duties. 

I am, resp'y, yours, 

A. W. GREELY, 
IsiLL 5 Cav. A. S. O. $ Asst. Com'd'g L. F. B. Expedition. 



W. B. HAZEN, 

Chief Signal Officer. 



Official copy from the records of the Signal Office. 
Nov. 9, 1883. 

Upernavik, Gd., July 29, 1881. 
Chief Signal Officer of the Army: 

Sir : I have the honor to recommend that arrangements be made at St. John's, Nfd., 
this year for the following stores, to be ready and to be paid for next summer, when 
the relief steamer leaves: 

Six tons dried seal meat (should be pressed in bales and kept dry ; cost should be 
trilling, as it is used considerably for manure; has been sold fresh for 40c. a barrel) : 
very necessary for dogs, and if not sent will cause much gi'eater expenditure — prob- 
ably ten times over; should be baled, covered with water-proof material. (75) sev- 
enty-five pairs seal-skin boots (with hair off, shaved or tanned), of three largest sizes ; 
50 pre. to be unsuled with leather, and 25 prs. to have leather soles attached, as is done 
for sealing use (should cost about $2.50 for plain boots and $5.00 for the soled boots) ; 
these boots should be best quality, and guaranteed to be water-tight. 150 pairs " Ice- 
land stockings;" should cost about 40 to 50c. per pair; should be good quality to wear 
(but not the best); same as generally used among sealers. 5 " square flipper " seal- 



APPENDIX. 

skins, shaved; or, if not to be had, 10 "old dog-harp" seal-skins (the whole lot, either 
Mud, should cost about $30 to $35); needed for repair of boots &c. ; very important. 
Proposals should be asked for the furnishing of these supplies of J. & W. Stewart, 
C. F. Bennett, Walter Grieve & Co., Browning Bros., St. John's, and Munn & Co., 
Harbor Grace. All things being equal, I would recommend J. & W. Stewart as very 
reliable. Care should be taken to insist on good articles. 

Mr. Molloy, U. S. consul, would undoubtedly attend to the inspection and proposal. 
It is most important that these articles should be obtained at St. John's. 

The clothing now had is barely sufficient for use during the coming twelvemonth, 
and a supply cannot be had in Greenland under less than a year, ordered in advance, 
and even then is uncertain. It is more than probable, too, that the cost would be 
really less in St. John's than here. 

Action is necessary this autumn, as some of the articles are obtained in Labrador, 
and the seal meat must be caught in March. 
I am, respectfully, vours, 

A. W. GREELY, 
1st Lieut. 5th Cavalry, A. S. O. and 

Assistant Com'd'g L. F. B. Expd. 



Official copy from the records of the Signal Office. 
Nov. 9, 1883. 



W. B. HAZEN, 

Chief Signal Officer . 



Fort Conger, Lady Franklin Bay, 

Grrinnell Land, August lbth, 1881. 

To the Chief Signal Officer of the Army: 

Sir: I have the honor to make the following report regarding the progress of the 
International Polar Expedition, which I have the honor to command. Leaving St. 
John's, Nidi., at noon, July 7th, the harbor of Godhavn, Greenland, was reached 9 
p.m., July 16th. The voyage was made in the face of continuously adverse winds, 
experiencing two strong northerly gales and constant cloudy and foggy weather. The 
ship behaved admirably. The only ice seen south of Cape Farewell were a few ice- 
bergs oft' Funk Island, and about forty in 52° N., 53° 15' W. Pack-ice was fallen in 
with at 10.30 p. m., July 12th, in 61° 30' N., 53° 30' W., and was left behind at 3 a. m., 
July 13th. A second pack was eucountered the same day at 2.30 p. m., in 62° 30' N., 
53° 15' W., and passed through in an hour. Neither pack offered any obstructions to 
free passage or caused the slightest delay. They both consisted of ice-floes (varying 
from one to eight feet above the water), which, coming from the east coast of Green- 
land, had drifted with the southerly current from Cape Farewell into Davis Strait. 

Not a dozen icebergs were seen in Greenlaud waters until Disco Bay was reached, 
when over a hundred were counted at one time. From Herr Krarup S nith, inspector 
of North Greenland, I learned that the past winter in Greenland (except a brief period 
of cold in March) had been one of marked and uu usual mildness, and that the ice 
north of Upernavik had broken up very early. Delaying his vessel fifteen hours on 
the expedition's account, he left the next day for an official inspection of Proven and 
Upernavik, assuring me of all possible aid and assistance for himself and all other 
officials. On July 2uth Dr. Octave Pavy joined the expedition as Acting Assistant Sur- 
geon. At Godhavn twelve dogs, a large quantity of dog food, and some seal-skins were 
procured. A considerable quantity of mattak (skin of the white whale, a very 
valuable antiscorbutic), and a few articles of fur-clothing were obtained by barter, as 
they could not be bought for money. Hard-bread and tobacco were principally given 
in exchange. Valuable assistance was given in this matter by the wife of Inspector 
Smith and by Mr. Fleischer, chief trader and governor of Godhavn. The remains of 
the house, purchased in 1880, was taken on board, as well as 3,000 pounds of buffalo 
pemmican, placed at my disposal by H. W. Howgate, of Washington. Nine dogs, 
which were at Rittenbauk, Avere also bought of O. Pavy. A good set of observations 
for time was made July 19-20, at the only hours the sun shone during our stay at God- 
navn. Leaving Godhavn the morning of the 21st, the vessel reached Ritteubank the 
same forenoon. At that point were purchased a number of seal-skins, a large quantity 
of dog food, and other minor articles, which had been accumulated for the expedition 
through the energy of Dr. Pavy. The nine dogs before mentioned were taken on 
board. Mr. Henry Clay* there joined the expedition under the status of a Signal- 
Service employe". Being delayed by the fog, Lt. Lockwood was sent with a party 
to obtain birds form Awe Prins Island. He returned that evening with sixty-five 
guillemots (Alca Aiva or Alca Briinnichi). It was said at Rittenbauk that the spring 
had been the most forward one for years. Leaving Rittenbauk 2.15 p. m., July 22d, 

* Mr. Clay returned in the " Proteus" from Lady Franklin Bay. — Recorder. 



142 APPENDIX. 

and running through the Waigat, the steamer was off Upernavik 9 p. m. July 23rd, 
but owing to log could not enter the harbor until the next morning. Two Esquimaux 
whom I had understood would accompany the expedition were not available, and in con- 
sequence a trip to Proven, about 50 miles distant, was necessary to obtain others. Skin 
clothing could not be obtained, except ten suits, which, having been made by order 
of the Danish Government for the use of the International Polar Station of Upernavik 
of 1882-'83, and were sold, through the kindness of Inspector Smith, to the expedition. 
A severe storm setting in prevented Lt. Lockwood (whom Mr. Elborg, chief trader at 
Upernavik had ottered to accompany to Proven) from starting on the 24th. On the 
morning of July 25th Lt. Lockwood left in the steam-launch "Lady Greely" (which had 
been put into the water for the trip), taking a circuitous route inside the islands, ren- 
dered necessary by bad weather. Lt. Lockwood returned early on the 28th, bringing 
for service with the expedition a native, Jans Edward, and a half-breed, Frederick 
Thorley Christiansen, who were contracted with that day. Lt. Lockwood also pro- 
cured about a dozen suits of skin clothing, which, though second-hand, are very ser- 
viceable. He had killed 1'20 guillemots during his voyage. The launch behaved ad- 
mirably both as a sea-boat and under steam. Lt. Kislingbury, by my orders, made two 
visits, July 24th and 25th, to the "loornery ," near Sanderson's Hope, bringing back the 
first day three hundred tine birds, and on the latter one hundred and fifteen, all guill- 
emots (Jlca Atca). Ten dogs (five of whom have since died of dog disease ; must have 
been sick when sold to me), were procured from Mr. Elborg. Additional dog food, 
sledge fittings, dog harness, and seal-skins were also bought. It was through the 
marked interest and kindly influence of Inspector Smith (whom I found at Upernavik) 
that the expedition secured the services of the natives and obtained so fair a stock of 
needed articles. The meteorological records of the past winter show it to have been 
very mild, and the spring very early. Inspector Smith told me that in fourteen years 
Upernavik has never been so green. Reports from Tessuissak were to the effect that 
the ice, breaking up very early, was all gone. On the afternoon of July 29th the an- 
chorage of Upernavik was left, and at 7 p. m., having run out the southern way, the 
vessel was distant three miles from Upernavik, just off the island to the west. Run- 
ning northward a few hours, the "middle passage" was taken, and at 7 a. m., July 31, 
the engines were stopped, as the " dead reckoning" placed the vessel only six miles 
south of Cape York, and dense fog prevented land from being seen. An hour later, 
the fog lifting a few minutes, showed land about five miles distant. This experience 
of the "middle passage" may be fairly said to have been without parallel or pre- 
cedent. The run of the English expedition of 1875-76, from Upernavik to 45 miles 
south of Cape York, in seventy hours, is said to have been unprecedented. Our 
passage by the same route, and to within five miles of Cape York, was made in thirty- 
six hours, half the time taken by the expedition under Sir George Nares, to run a less 
distance. Nothing in the shape of a pack was encountered in Baffin Bay, but in 
about 75° 08' N., 63° 40' W. a pack was seen to the westward, whether open or com- 
pact was uncertain. A polar bear (Ursus maritimus) and a seal (Phoca barbata) 
were killed, on small detached floes in the "middle passage". July 31st was lost 
through foggy weather, obliging the vessel to " lay to." At 8.15 a. m., the fog lifting 
disclosed Petowik Glacier, near to the north of which, in small patches of dirty red- 
dish color, was seen the red snow among the " crimson cliffs " of Sir John Ross. Sight- 
ing the Cary Islands at 3.10 p. m. that day, two parties were landed on the southeast 
island at 5.45 p. m. The party under Dr. Pavy obtained from the cairn on the summit 
the record left by Mr. Allen Young in 1875 and 1876, which form enclosures "A" and 
"B"; copies were left in the cairn, and an additional record, enclosure " C." WithLieut. 
Lockwood, I found and examined the whale-boat and depot of provisions left by Sir 
George Nares in 1875, which were in good and serviceable condition. A record in the 
boat was taken away (enclosure "D"), but a copy of it and anew record (enclosure " C ") 
were left in its place. At 12.30 p. m., August 2nd, Littleton Island was reached. A per- 
son al and exhaustive search of seven hours was necessary to find the English mail, which, 
in four boxes and three kegs, have been forwarded to you, in order that they may be 
returned to England. There was a very small cairn near the mail, but with no rec- 
ord. A record, enclosure "H," was left by me. Lt. Lockwood with a party landed 
about Ci tons of coal as a depot of fuel for possible future use. It is in and around a 
large cask, on low ground, on the southwest side of the island, facing Cape Alexan- 
der. Lieut. Kislingbury aiiflDr. Pavy. by my orders, visited Life-Boat Cove to com- 
municate withthe Etah Eskimos, and see the " Polaris" winter quarters . Several pho- 
tographs of the surroundings were taken by Sergt. Rice, and a number of relics brought 
off", which will be forwarded to you. The transit instrument was found about twenty 
feet from the cairn. The Etah Eskimos have evidently quitted the place, as all traces 
were old, a year certainly, and probably two or three years. In searching on Little- 
ton Island for the Nares cairn about fifty small cairns (many evidently for game) were 
found, in two of which records from S. S. "Erik," Capt. Walker, June 20, 1876, were 
found, and form enclosures " E " and " F." A cairn carefully built, and with an aper- 
ture at the base, probably that of Sir George Nares, was found open and empty. Lt. 



APPENDIX. 143 

Lockwood, who later was sent to go over the ground a third time, concluded with me 
that the open cairn was that of Sir George Nares. A record was made by Lt. Lock- 
wood for deposit, hut a message sent him when the English mail was found caused 
him to withdraw it, or he was erroneously informed that I had found the cairn sought 
for. It probably has been plundered, as a piece of a London newspaper, The Standard, 
was found by me in the snow ou the west side of the island. It contains a notice 
of a lecture by Sir George Nares in 1875. It forms enclosure " G." Some repairs 
to the wheel of the ship caused several hours delay, but Littleton Island was left 
at 10.45 p. m. The weather being very fair and no ice visible, I did not dare to take 
time to examine the 240 rations at Cape Sabine, but directed the captain to run 
•direct for Cape Hawks. On August 3rd Cape Sabine was passed at 1.50 a. m., and 
Cape Camperdown at 4.10 a. m. At 8.40 a. m. off Cape Hawks, and at 9.10 a. m. lay 
to about two miles north of it, between the mainland and Washington Irving Island. 
Sent two parties, under Lt. Lockwood and Dr. Pavy, to examine respectively the 
south and north end of Washington Irving Island. With Lt. Kislingbury, Mr. Clay, 
and a number of the men I proceeded to the main shore and examiued the English 
depot of 1875. The jolly-boat was found in good condition, and being short of boats 
it was taken by me. I have named it the " Valorous," it having belonged to H. M. S. 
"Valorous," connected with the Nares expedition. There was a large quantity of 
bread (some mouldy), two kegs of pickles, two partly full of rum, two barrels of 
stearine, and a barrel preserved potatoes. A keg of picaliUi (I having none in my 
stores), one of the kegs of rum were taken, and three cans potatoes, to test them 
and the method of cooking them. The remaining stores were placed by my party 
in a better condition to resist the weather. Several photographs of the surround- 
ings were made by Sergt. Rice. Starting again at 11.10 a. m., and running out to the 
southward, Lt. Lockwood's and Dr. Pavy's parties were picked up at 11.40 a. m. Lt. 
Lockwood found, in a cairn on the summit, a record of Capt. Nares, deposited in 1875, 
and countersigned by him in 1876, which forms enclosure "T." A copy was left, to- 
gether with a new record (enclosure" K"). Passed Cape Louis Napoleon 1.10 p. m., 
and Cape Frazer at 3 p. m. Washington Land was first sighted at 3.55 p. m., through 
openings in the fog, which commenced setting in. About 5 p. m. the 80th parallel 
was crossed. At 5.30 p. m. abreast of Cape Collinson, where 240 rations are cached, 
but which I dared not visit, fearing dense fog would set in and delay seriously our 
northward passage. At 10 p.m., after running slow through a dense fog, it was 
necessary to stop until the next day (Aug. 4th), when, the fog clearing at 11.15 a. m., 
Franklin Sound was sighted about eight miles N. E. (true). It was passed at 11.45 a. 
m. At 2 p. m. the ship stopped in the N. E. end of Carl Ritter Bay, -where I had de- 
cided to place a small depot of provisions in case of a retreat southward in 1883. 
About two hundred and twenty-Jive bread and meat rations were landed by a party under 
myself, which Lt. Kislingbury and Dr. Pavy accompanied. The depot was made on 
the first bench from the sea, just north of a little creek in the extreme N. E. part of the 
bay. About 7.45 p. m., off Cape Lieber, a heavy pack against the land was passed by 
a detour to the eastward, and at 9 p. in., August 4th, the vessel was stopped for the 
first time by ice in the extreme S. E. part of Lady Frankliu Bay, only eight miles from 
destination. The pack was a very heavy one, and, running from Cape Baird north- 
eastward in a semicircle, reached the Greenland coast (where it touched the land) 
just south of Offley Island, near the mouth of Petermann's Fiord. The pack consisted 
of thick polar ice, ranging from 20 to 50 feet in thickness, cemented together by har- 
bor ice from two to five feet thick. It was impossible to do aught but wait. The 
vessel was tied to the pack off Cape Baird, and awaited a gale. On August 5th I 
went ashore at Cape Lieber with Lt. Lockwood, Dr. Pavy and party, to examine the 
ice from the cliffs. Lt. Lockwood erected a cairn on the highest peak. No other 
cairn could be seen on it or from it, nor on other peaks visited by Dr. Pavy and my- 
self. Occasional lanes of water could be seen through the rifts of the fog-cloud which 
covered Hall Basin, but the main pack was firm and unchanged. On August 6th, the 
pack moving slightly, obliged the vessel to change its mooring place from time to time. 
Aug. 7th the pack drove us out of Lady Frankliu Bay, and during that day aud the 8th 
we were gradually driven south. Probably twenty-five miles of ice in huge fields 
passed southward of us during those two days. Every opportunity was improved to 
steam around such fields to keep head against the southerly current. On the evening 
of Aug. 8th the steady north wind had forced the whole pack down towards us, while 
the fields previously driven southward, packed fast together, formed a huge com- 
pact barrier, stretching from Carl Ritter Bay across to Haus Island. But a mile or so 
of open water remaiued. A nip appeared most probable, and preparations were hast- 
ily made to uUship screw and rudder. Duriug the night matters improved somewhat, 
but during the 9th and 10th we were forced slowly southward to within about 5 miles 
of Hans Island, having lost about 45 miles of latitude. About noon of the 10th the 
long-desired southwest gale set in, acccompanied by snow, starting the pack north- 
ward. The snow cleared the next morning, but the gale fortunately continued. Open 
water was visible on the west coast as far northward as could be seen. At 7.30 a. m. 



144 APPENDIX. 

we ran rapidly northward, and about 1 p.m. again passed Cape Lieber, and at 2.40 
p.m. had crossed Lady Franklin Bay. Either ice-foot, or pack-ice jammed against 
the shore, covered Watercourse Bay, but a narrow lane permitted the vessel to enter 
Discovery Harbor, just inside Dutch Island, where harbor ice about 18 inches thick 
was found covering the whole harbor as well as the western half of Lady Franklin 
Bay. The vessel forced her way about ± mile through ice of the character above 
named, and then stopped, pending my decision as to the locality of the station. While 
Lieut. Lockwood was sent to examine Watercourse Bay and the coal-seam, I visited 
alone the " Discovery" winter quarters, and found in a cairn two tin cases, one labeled 
" Records," and the other "General information." They form enclosures 4< L,""M," 
44 N," "O," "P,"to this report. Lieut. Lockwood, returning- early morning August 13th, 
reported the place an excellent one for camp, the bay partly clear, but shallow. He 
thought it probable the vessel could come within about 200 yards of the shore. The bay, 
however, was of such shape that, while discharging, the vessel would be unprotected 
against ice, as it is exposed to all winds from N.E. to S.S.W. The coal was so located 
that it could be readily mined after ice forms, and could, if required, be hauled without 
difficulty to Watercourse Bay or to Discovery Harbor. I reluctantly decided to settle 
at Discovery winter quarters, owing to the uncertainty that would attend unloading at 
such a place. It was fortunate that I so decided, for, sending Dr. Pavy to ground over- 
looking Watercourse Bay, on Aug. 13th, he reported it full of pack-ice. On the 12th 
the vessel broke her way through two mih-s of heavy ice and anchored off the cairn, 
about 100 yards from shore, at about 3 p. m. At 3.30 p. m. the men were divided into 
two gangs, to work day and night, by four-hour reliefs, until the cargo w r as discharged. 
The general cargo was discharged in 60 hours — by 3.30 a.m. (to-day) August 14th. 
At this time coal is being landed, of which I have about 140 tons, enough to last two 
winters without mining any. Work on the house is progressing rapidly, though 
hut three or four men can be spared at present for that woik. The foundation has 
been finished, floor-stringers laid, and about one-eighth of the frame is now up. 
Fourteen musk oxen have been killed, and enough meat is on hand for issue three 
times a week for the coming seven months, besides ten days' rations of dried birds. 
The post has been named Fort Conger, in honor of Senator Conger, of Michigan. Any- 
thing of importance will be added as an appendix. Photographic views have been, 
and will be, taken once each day, from which you can best judge of the progress and 
condition of affairs. I feel it proper to here state that in my opinion a retreat from 
here southward to Cape Sabine, in case no vessel reaches us in 1882 or 1883, will be 
safe and practicable, although all but the most important records will necessarily 
have to be abandoned. Abstracts could and would be made of those left. 
I am, respectfully, y'rs, 

A. W. GREELY, 
1 Lt.5th Car., A. S. O. $ Ass't Com'd'g L. F. B. Exp' tin. 

Official copy from the records of the Signal Office. 

W. B. HAZEN, 

Chief Signal Officer, 
1, 15, '84. 

Fort Conger, Grinnell Land, 

August 17 th, 1881. 
Chief Signal Officer of the Army: 

Sir: I have the honor to recommend that in connection with the vessel to visit 
this station in 1882 there be sent some captain of the merchant service who has had 
experience as a whaler and ice-master. Five enlisted men of the Army are requested 
to replace men invalided or who are found to be unfit otherwise for the work. One 
of the number should be a Signal Service sergeant. Sergeant Emory Braine, 2d Cav- 
alry, and Sergeant Martin Hamburg, Company E, 10th Infantry, are recommended 
most highly, and without they are physically or morally unfitted within the year, their 
detail is requested. The two remaining men should be such as have had some sea 
experience. All the men should be rigidly examined as to their physical condition. 
The ice-master should be expected to see that every effort is made to reach this point 
by the vessel sent. In case the vessel cannot reach this point, a very possible con- 
tingency, a depot (No. A) should be made at a permanent point on the east coast of 
Grinnell Land (west side of Smith Sound or Kennedy Channel), consisting of ninety- 
six cans chocolate and milk, ninety-six cans coffee and milk, one-half barrel of alcohol, 
forty eight mutton, forty-eight beef, one keg rum, forty-eight cans sausage, forty- 
eight cans mulberry preserves, two barrels bread, one box butter, forty-eight cans 
condensed milk, one-half barrel onion pickles, forty-eight cans cranberry sauce, forty- 
eight cans soup, twenty-four cans tomatoes, one gross wax matches (to be in water- 
tight case), one eighth cord of wood, one wall-tent (complete), one axe and helve, 
one whale-boat. At Littleton Island, carefully cached on the western point, out of 
ordinary sight, with no cairn, should be placed an equal amount (depot B), but no 
boat. A. notice as to the exact locality should be left in the top of the coal (prefera- 



APPENDIX. 145 

bly in a corked and sealed bottle), bnried a foot deep, which was left on that island. 
A second notice should be in the edge of the coal furthest inland, and a third in the 
Nares cairn, now open, which is on summit southwest part of island. 

The second boat should be left at Cape Prescott, or very near, in order that if boats 
are necessarily abandoned above that point one will be available to cross to Bache 
Island and go to the southward. These boats should be not exceeding forty feet and 
not less than twenty above high-water mark, and their positions should be marked 
by substantial scantling, well secured and braced, to the top of which a number of 
pieces of canvas should be well nailed, so that it may be plainly and easily seen. A 
second staff, with pieces of canvas, should be raised on a point which shows promi- 
nently to the northward, so a party can see it a long distance. Depots A and B 
should be made ready in Saint John's and be plainly marked and carefully secured. 

The packages during the voyage should be easily accessible. Depot A should bo 
landed at the farthest possible northern point. A few miles is important, and no 
southing should be permitted to obtain a prominent location. The letters and dis- 
patches should all be carefully soldered up in a tin case, and then boxed (at Saint 
John's) and marked, or put in a well-strapped, water-tight keg, and should be left 
with depot A if such depot shall be at or north or in plain sight of Cape Hawks, and 
the newspapers and periodicals left at Littleton Island . If depot A is not so far north, 
the letters and all mail should be returned to the United States. After making depot 
B, at Littleton Island, the vessel should, if possible, leave a record of its proceedings 
at Cape Sabine. If the party does not reach here in 1882, there should be sent in 
1883 a capable, energetic officer, with ten (10) men, eight of whom should have had 
practical sea experience, provided with three whale-boats and ample provisions for 
forty (40) persons for fifteen months. The list of all provisions taken by me this year 
would answer exceedingly well. In case the vessel was obliged to turn southward 
(she should not leave Smith Sound near Cape Sabine before September 15th) it should 
leave duplicates of depots A and B of 188*2 at two different points, one of which should 
be between Cape Sabine aud Bache Island, the other to be an intermediate depot be- 
tween the two depots already established. Similar rules as to indicating locality 
should be insisted on. Thus the Grinnell Land coasts would be covered with seven 
depots of ten days' provisions in less than three hundred miles, not including the two 
mouths' supplies at Cape Hawks. 

The party should then proceed to establish a winter station at "Polaris" winter quar- 
ters, Life-Boat Cove, where their main duty w r ould be to keep their telescopes on Cape 
Sabine and the land to the northward. They should have lumber enough for house 
and observatory, fifty tons of coal, and complete meteorological and magnetic outfit. 
Being furnished with dogs, sledges, and a native driver, a party of at least six (6) 
men should proceed, when practicable, to Cape Sabine, whence a sledge party north- 
ward of two best fitted men should reach Cape Hawks, if not Cape Collinson. Such 
action, from advice, experience, and observation, seems to me all that can be done to 
insure our safety. No deviation from these instructions should be permitted. Lati- 
tude of action should not be given to a relief party who on a known coast are search- 
ing for men who know their plans and orders. 
I am, respectfully, yours, 

A. W. GREELY, 
Is* Lieut, bth Cavalry, A. S. 0. and Ass't, Commanding Expedition. 

Official copy from the records of the Signal Office. 

W. B. HAZEN, 

Chief Signal Officer. 
Nov. 9, '83. 



Ft. Conger, L. F. Bay, Grinnell Land, 

Aug. 17th, 1881. 
Chief Signal Officer of the Army : 

Sir: I have the honor to request that the Danish Government may be moved to 
direct that the following-named articles be prepared and ready, if practicable, at 
Godhavn, for the use of this expedition in 1882, to be called for by the relief vessel 
of 1882: 

Twenty-six (26) temials, large sizes. 
Forty-six (46) seal-skin pants, large sizes. 

Ten (10) sleeping-bags, lined with dog-skin, large enough for two men of large 
stature. 

Five hundred pounds mattaJc — skin of white whale. 
One hundred fifty (150) coils of thongs for traces and lines. 
Ten (10) dogs (with 2 moV dog food, to last en route.) 
Suitable seal-skins for twenty dog-harnesses. 



146 APPENDIX. 

The order for these should be made from Copenhagen by the first vessel, and no 
time should be lost in arranging therefor. The first Danish ship leaving in March- 
early — reaches Godhavu about the first of May. If all cannot be obtained, as much 
as practicable should be made ready. 
I am, respectfully, yours, 

A. W. GREELY, 
la/ Lt. 5 Cav., A. S. O. and Ass't, Com'd'g Expedition. 

Official copy from the records of the Sigual Office. 
Nov. 9, 1883. 



Chief Signal Officer. 



Ft. Conger, Grinnell Land, 

Aug. 17, 1881. 
Chief Signal Officer of the Army : 

Sir : The captain of the vessel coming to this station in 1882 should be provided 
with the following charts, which can be obtained from the Navy Department : Nos. 
235. 274, 276, 555, 787, 807, 2117, 2118, 2282, and 2382. 

The following should be purchased : From 75° N. to 84° N., Admiralty chart, Apr. 
20, 1875, corrected to July, '78 (later if can be had), sold by J. D. Potter, 31 Poultry 
and 11 King St., London. 
I am, resp'v, y'rs, 

A. W. GREELY, 
1 Lt. 5 Cav., A. S. 0., and Ass't Com'd'g Exjy'd'n. 

Official copv from the records of the Signal Office. 

W. B. HAZEN, 

Chief Signal Officer. 
Nov. 9, 1883. 



Ft. Conger, L. F. Bay, Grinnell Land, 

Aug. 17, 1881. 
Chief Signal Officer of the Army: 

Sir : I have the honor to herewith transmit copy map of Robeson Channel and ap- 
proaches, whereon is marked the course followed by the "Proteus" northward of the 
entrance to Smith Sound ; also map of "Discovery" winter quarters. The house is lo- 
cated within fifty yards or so of the cairn, and runs N. and S. One hundred copies 
(lithographed) of these charts would be very useful, and I request they be furnished. 
I am, resp'v, y'r, 

A. W. GREELY, 
1 Lt. 5 Cav., A. S. 0. and Ass't. 
(Five in closures.) 



Official copy from the records of the Signal Office. 
Nov. 9, 1883. 



W. B. HAZEN, 

Chief Signal Officer. 



Ft. Conger, L. F. Bay, 
Aug. 18, 1881. 
Chief Signal Officer of the Army : 

Sir : I have the honor to report that the party remaining as the enlisted force at 
this place are all men well fitted for the work, and their relief, except on grounds of 
ill health or at personal request, is not recommended. Sgt. Gardner is not always 
accurate, but is willing, and time, with supervision, will correct that fault. Private 
Ryan indulged too freely in drink at St. John's, but on the trip and here proves a most 
excellent, reliable, and hard-working man. 
I am, resp'y, y'rs, 

A. W. GREELY, 
1 Lt. 5 Cav., A. S. 0. and Ass't, Com'd'g Exp'd'n. 

Official copv from the records of the Signal Office. 

W. B. HAZEN, 

Chief Signal Officer. 
Nov. 9, 1883. 



APPENDIX. 147 

Fort Conger, Grinnell Land, Lady Franklin Bay, 

August 18th, 1881. 

Chief Signal Officer of the Army: 

Sir : I have the honor to report that the weather continues fine and tbe health of 
the men good. I have ordered Corporal Starr to return to Washington, as he has 
developed a tendency to asthma, which unfits him in the opinion of the doctor for 
hard work in the field, because possibly he might be attacked. The house is entirely 
framed and partly boarded. 

Everything perishable has been got under canvas. 

I hope to send the party northward to Cape Henry in a week or so. In view of 
Corporal Starr's relief it would be well to send six men instead of five men. 

The Captain hopes to sail to-night, I having promised to stop coaling at 6 p. m., 
when 1 shall have about 140 long tons coal, enough with proper margin for two years 
and more. * 

I am, respectfully, yours, 

A. W. GREELY, 
1st Lieut, bth Cav., A. S. 0. and AssH, Com'd'g L. F. B. Expedition. 

P. S. — 24 additional musk oxen have been seen. 

Official copy from the records of the Signal Office. 

W. B. HAZEN, 

Chief Signal Officer. 
Nov. 9, 1883. 



Ft. Conger, Grinnell Land, 

August 18, 1881. 
My Dear General: 

I have kept all expenses down as low as I could. Am afraid may have trouble an- 
other year getting vessel. I would move early. Chester (Baird's man) recommends 
highly Capt. Buddington — who I know stands highly — as a suitable ice-master. He 
is an uncle of the " Polaris" Buddington, and an old whaler. Have, as I may say, no 
time for writing more, so many things demand my personal attention. 
Ever faithfully yours, 

A. W. GREELY, 
IstLt. 5 Cav., A.S.O.,4"C. 
Gen. W. B. Hazen, 

Washington. 

Official extract from the records of the Signal Office. 

W. B. HAZEN, 



1,15/84. 



Chief Signal Officer. 



[Telegram received, at 9, 12, 1881, 9.43 a. m., 8. N. Y., from St. John's, N. F., 12th.] 

To Chief Signal Officer, 

Wash'n, D. C: 

Entered Lady Franklin Bay one month from leaving St. John's. Obtained natives, 
skin clothing, and dogs at Godhavn, Rittenbank, Upernavik, and Proven. 

Made most remarkable trip recorded from Upernavik, through "middle passage" to 
Cape York, in thirty-six hours. In six days and two hours from Upernavik, though 
delayed thirty-two hours by fog, entered Lady Franklin Bay, Laving meanwhile ex- 
amined English depot, Cary Island; recovered entire English Arctic mail at Little- 
ton Island; discovered transit instrument "Polaris "quarters, Life-Boat Cove; obtained 
record Washington Irving Island ; overhauled English depot, Cape Hawks ; and landed 
depot at Carl Ritter Bay. Vessel never met pack worthy of name nor stopped by ice 
until inside Cape Lieber, Lady Franklin Bay, eight miles from destination, where de- 
layed one week, being forced back south of eightieth parallel. Entered Discovery 
Harbor, August eleventh, where station is located, Watercourse Bay being impracti- 



148 . APPENDIX. 

cable for landing. About hundred forty tons coal landed. Have killed here three 
full months' rations musk cattle. Weather line. Building framed and being covered. 
Party all well. 

GREELY, 
Lt. , Commandi ng. 
Lady Franklin Bay, Aug. 18th, 1881. 

1.83 collect. 

Official copy from the records of the Signal office. 

W. B. HAZEN, 

Chief Signal Officer. 
Nov. 9, 1883. 



The "Proteus" delayed by ice a few miles S. E. permits me to-day to report that one 
house is now covered, and it will be partly occupied to-morrow, Sunday. All well. 

A. W. GREELY, Lt.rfc. 
L. F. B., Aug. 20. 



Official copy from the records of the Signal Office. 
Nov. 9, 1883. 



W. B. HAZEN, 

Chief Signal Officer. 



L. F. Bay, Aug. 25th, 1881. 

All stores under cover. Freezing weather commenced. Observatory under way. 
House entirely done except inside work, which can be done at leisure. Start a small 
party north and one into interior in few days. Ice in L. F. Bay has unfortunately not 
gone out at all this year, and so steam-launch is kept here. No snow on ground. Party 
all well. "Proteus" delayed by ice at entrance to harbor for days, although channel 
open outside. Since Starr and Ryan are gone, seven men should come next year. 
Lowest temp., 22° on 20th. 

A. W. GREELY. 

Gen. W. B. Hazen, 

Chief Signal Officer, Washington, D. C, United States. 

Official copy from the records of the Signal Office. 

W. B. HAZEN, 

Chief Signal Officer. 
Nov. 9, 1883. 



EXHIBIT N. 

v 

Washington, D. C. January \&th, 1883. 
Captain G. W. Davis, 

Recorder of Board : 

Sir : As requested by the Board of which you are Recorder, I have the honor to sub- 
mit the following regarding articles supplied to the Greely Relief Expedition of 1883, 
and which were designed for use in sledging expeditions. 

SLEDGES. 

Three sledges were furnished, two being seventeen feet in length, designed to carry 
heavy loads, and the other eight feet in length and proportionably lighter in all re- 
spects, but all being constructed upon the same plan, the design being to obtain the 
greatest amount of strength with the least possible weight of material. 

These sledges were made alike at both ends, and consisted of double runners, made 
of the best hickory, one-fourth of an inch in thickness for the light sledge, and five- 
eighths of an inch in thickness for the heavier ones. The lower, or snow runners, were 
four inches in width, and the ice-runners were three inches wide. These were steamed 
and bent at the ends, which wore brought together and secured in such manner as 



APPENDIX. 149 

to give proper form to the sledge, whichever side might be uppermost. At intervals 
of two feet along the body of the sledge the runners were separated, and kept in po- 
sition by posts twenty inches long, of suitable size, the ends of which rested in sock- 
ets of gun-metal securely riveted to the runners. The sockets were cast with a base 
three b ches square, to rest on the runners, which gave them a broad bearing surface. 
Aloug the cenierline of the sledge the posts had slots, both on the inner and outer 
sides, formed by projecting shoulders, so constructed as not to weaken the wood. 
These slots were two inches wide, and three-eighths inch deep, and resting in them, 
running the entire length of the sledge, were placed the side-rails, upon which the 
beams rested. At either end these rails were separated by a piece of wood to which 
they were riveted, and which was made to tit against and join to the runners where 
their ends came together. The runners were shod with Norway iron one-tenth inch 
thick. To keep the upper and lower runners in j)osition, and hold the ends of the 
posts firmly in the metal sockets, small rods of Norw T ay iron were placed forward and 
aft of each post, passing between the side-rails, and through the runners and shoes, 
where they were countersunk and riveted. 

Tbe two sides of the sledge, being of course similar, were kept in position by cross- 
beams made of cask staves, or other suitable material, cut to the desired length. A 
slot large enough to admit the post was cut in each end of the cross-beam, so that the 
shoulder would rest on the inner side-rail, and the parrs not cut away would pass ou 
either side and beyond the post, where it would be secured by a lashing passed around 
the end of the cross-beam, the two side-rails, and the post. 

It is a question whether diagonal lashings, extending from. the metal socket at the 
ends of each post to similar points at the opposite ends of the adjacent posts, and 
passing between the side-rails, where they would cross, would not be better than the 
upright iron rods used. If of tarred stuff of suitable size, such lashings would have 
the requisite strength, would not be affected by moisture, and would not be gnawed 
by the dogs. They would give the necessary rigidity to the sides of the sledge, and 
in cases of breakage could be more readily cast off and replaced than could the iron 
rods. 

It is believed that the lashings at the ends of the cross-beams, and the facility with 
which lashings could be passed from one of the upper runners to the other, above the 
load, when placed in position, would keep the sides upright, and resist any strain 
caused by the sledge sliding to one side or the other. To preserve the necessary rigid- 
ity, as between the two sides of the sledge whenever the resistance to one runner was 
greater than to the other, lashings extending diagonally from the posts on one side to 
those on the other would be sufficient, and being passed with a turn around the cross- 
beams would make a capital support for the load. It was expected that a traction- 
bar lashed underneath the side-rails, close to the nose of the sledge, would answer to 
haul by, and that if handles witu a cross-bar tor steering the sledge should be desir- 
able, they could be similarly lashed at the rear end of the sledge. 

The sledges for the Greely Relief Expedition of 188:3 were made by Messrs. McDer- 
mott Brothers, of this city, and, including quite a number of spare parts, cost in the 
aggregate about one hundred and eighty dollars. ' 

SLEDGING TENTS. 

These were constructed of blue "denim,'' of the wedge or " A" pattern; were seven 
feet square at the base, and nine feet to the ridge. They were supported by two ice- 
chisels at each end, which were crossed and lashed about six inches from the ends of 
the handles, the ends projecting into ears or pockets ou either side of the extreme ends 
of the ridge. Around these, when the poles were in position, a guy-rope was fastened 
and led down to a hummock of ice at convenient distance, or otherwise secured, and 
those at both front and rear of the tent being hauled taut, no ridge-pole was neces- 
sary. 

At the base of the tent was sewed along its center a breadth of the cloth, one-half 
of which being brought up inside and fastened at the seams, formed convenient 
pockets, while the other half, resting on the snow or ice as a sod-cloth, was kept 
down and in position by snow or ice banked upon it, rendering the use of pins un- 
necessary. 

The opening into the tent was through a hole three feet high and twenty-seven 
inches broad, the bottom of which was eighteen inches above the base of the tent. 
This was closed by a Hap, something larger than the opening, stitched to the tent at 
the top, and fastened along the sides and bottom, where it overlapped by means of 
toggles. 

When furnished w r ith water-proof floor-cloths these tents were very complete, and 
would hold five men each. Being of dark color, they were more readily sren when 
pitched on the ice, and afforded protection to the eyes from the sun's rays. They were 
made for the Signal Service, at the Schuylkill Arsenal, Phila., under the direction of 
Captain Gill, M. S. K., at the cost (exclusive of transportation) of $14.82 each. 



150 APPENDIX. 

ALCOHOL STOVES FOR COOKING. 

The principal feature of these was the placing around the boiler or vessel in which 
the boiling was done a metal jacket, made cylindrical in form, and of the size of the 
lamp. At the upper end it was brazed to the boiler, which it fitted at that end, and, 
owing to the increasing size of the boiler from the top downward, it formed an air 
space around the boiler where the heat from the lamp was confined and more per- 
fectly utilized. Holes of suitable size near the top of the jacket afforded ventilation. 
The boiler held three gallons, and was furnished with a cover, and with a cock at the 
bottom extending through the jacket. It would coutain when being transported the 
necessary mess-kit and utensils, and would melt snow and furnish tea or coffee for a 
party of live, besides cooking the pemmicanwith an expenditure of about one pint of 
alcohol. 

Such stoves and boilers should be made of copper, but I am not able to give the 
cost. 

SLEEPING-BAGS. 

These were of sheepskin, bark-tanned, with the wool on. They should be single, 
one for each person, and without any lining. They were made with the wool inside, 
and sufficiently large to permit the occupant when dressed in fur clothing to turn 
easily. Their length permitted the legs to be fully extended. They were broader at 
the shoulders, narrowing towards the foot, and less towards the head. In general 
Bhape they were not unlike a coffin. Above the face was a circular opening about six 
inches in diameter, furnished with a flap to close when desired. From the bottom of 
this opening a slit was cut down to the middle of the bag, which was also supplied 
with a flap sewed fast at one edge and made to fasten at the other by means of small 
toggles. This, when open, permitted the occupant to sit up without getting out of the 
bag. 

ICE CHISELS AND PADDLES. 

These were made by using two-inch framing chisels from which the temper had 
been drawn, and the bevel made equal on the sides. Into the sockets of these were 
fastened securely handles of best ash, turned, one and one-half inches in diameter, 
and ten feet long. 

Besides affording supports for the tents as already described, they served excellently 
as Alpeu-stocks when clambering about ice-floes, and for detaching pieces of ice on 
which to cross narrow leads of water. Some of them were made with blades or 
paddles at the upper end, which were tipped with thin metal, and were useful when 
ferrying across a lead on a piece of ice. These implements were furnished from the 
Brooklyn Navy-Yard, and their cost is not known. 

Boats, tents, sledges, and implements of all kinds should, when designed for Arctic 
work, be of dark color, to be more readily distinguishable when upon the ice. 
I am, sir, very respectfully, vour ob't servant, 

W. H. CLAPP, 
Captain 16ih Infantry. 



Washington, Jan'y 22, '84. 
Captain G. W. Davis, 

Recorder Greely Relief Board. 

Sir: Having been requested to prepare for the use of the Board a drawing of the 
sledges sent out with the Proteus Relief Expedition, I respectfully submit the ac- 
companying, and request it may be made a part of my paper on the sledging outfit 
sent with that expedition. 

I should add that the original design for this sledge was made by Chief Engineer 
Melville, of the Navy, while on board the " Jeannette," and his plan was modified by 
me to the extent of substituting bronze sockets for securing the posts to the runners, 
rather than framing them into the runners as he had proposed. 

This change he highly approved — pronouncing the sledge as constructed all that 
could be desired. Tuis opinion was concurred in by Lieut. Berry, also of the Navy, 
and by others of considerable Arctic experience. 
I have the honor to be, vour ob't servant, 

\V. H. CLAPP, 

Cap't 16fft Inf. 



To accompa/iz/ltxhibU.N Greely Relief Hoards. 




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B B ImnJ?o6Ls. 

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&JD Barrel Staves (ur any a*e, 

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F F" fashutffs of tarred J/emp t 

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^Arctic Sledge. 

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(Drawing of Sledge prepared by 

Captain Clapp, U. S. Army, 

(page ljjo) rtoi used, 






1 



APPENDIX. 151 



EXHIBIT 0. 

Bureau of Navigation, Navy Department, 

Washington, January 19, 1884. 

Sir : By dirction of the Secretary of the Navy, I have the honor to forward herewith 
four letters relating to the subject under consideration by the Board of which you are 
president, referred to the Navy Department by Senator Miller, of California. 
Very respectfully, 

J. G. WALKER, 

Chief of Bureau. 
Brevet Major-General W. B. Hazen, U. S. A., 

President Board of Officers to consider relief of Lt. Greely, Sf-c, $c. 

[Incloaure 1.] 

U. S. Revenue Marine St'm'r "Richard Rush," 

San Francisco, Cal., Nov. 4//j, 1883. 

Hon. Charles J. Folger, 

Secretary of the Treasury, Washington, D. C, 

Sir: Referring to the unfortunate failure of the expedition sent to the relief of 
Lieut. Greely and party, resulting in the total destruction of one vessel and the return 
of the other without having accomplished anything, I most respectfully submit the 
following, and ask your favorable consideration. Lieut. Greely's instructions, as I 
understand them from the published accounts were, to be ready to break up his sta- 
tion at the opening of navigation of the present year 1883, and should no vessel come 
to his relief, to start south with his party and endeavor to reach Littleton Island not 
later than September, where the vessel sent to his relief was expected to remain, 
should it be found impracticable to reach Lady Franklin Bay. The latter place could 
not be reached this year, the ice being heavy and closely packed. This impassable 
condition of the ice would be known to Lieut. Greely, who would not fail to inform 
himself on the subject, and hasten his departure for Littleton Island, which place he 
probably reached without serious difficulty not many days after the departure of the 
" Yantic." On his arrival there, finding neither means of transportation nor shelter, 
food nor fuel on the island, he would naturally make an attempt to reach some of the 
Innuit settlements. As these settlements are small, and the inhabitants poor and 
unable to support a large party, it would be necessary to separate small parties going in 
different directions. Broken health by their long stay in the Arctic regions, wearied 
by the hardships already encountered in the toilsome journey from Lady Franklin 
Bay, disappointed and disheartened at not finding the succor they had a right to ex- 
pect at Littleton Island, it is not improbable that some of the unfortunates might fail 
to reach an Innuit settlement. But when we refer to previous Arctic disasters and re- 
flect upon the hardships men have endured from hunger and exposure in that most 
inhospitable region, and survived to reach the world with the knowledge gained, we 
have a right to hope that at least a part of them will survive the winter. When we 
reflect, further, that had aid been promptly rendered the loss of life or at least a por- 
tion of it might have been avoided in the case of both Franklin and De Long, we can 
readily see the necessity of prompt action if a like fate is to be averted in the present 
case. Had the Government sent several expeditions along the north coast of the con- 
tinents of Asia and North America by land in the spring of 1881 instead of sending one, 
and that a vessel to go over the same ground which had already been traversed many 
times by a revenue steamer that was still keeping up an active search in all parts of 
the Arctic basin accessible to any vessel, De Long and his brave followers upon reach- 
ing the Lena Delta, after their most remarkable retreat over the frozen sea, might 
have found friends to greet them instead of death, through hunger and exposure. 

Should all or a portion of the Greely party survive the winter, with the coming of 
spring they will look even more anxiously for assistance than when they strained their 
eyes in vain for signs of relief in the vicinity of Littleton Island. With the breaking 
up of the ice, assistance should be sent to them ; not one vessel, but several. There 
are not only the chances to be considered of total failure through disaster in the case 
of a single- vessel being sent, but also the chances of missing some of the members of 
the Greely party owing to the extent and exceedingly rough nature of the coast line 
to be searched. Considering the national character of the expedition under Greely, 
it seems to me proper that all branches of the public service should join in the search. 
I therefore respectfully ask to be allowed to take command of the steamer "Levi Wood- 
bury, - ' of the Revenue Marine Service, now stationed at Eastport, Maine, or such other 
suitable vessel as may be decided upon, when the proper time arrives, and join in the 
search. The cost will not be great, as no expensive repairs or alterations will be re- 
quired ; the vessel need only be in ordinary sea-going condition, and protected from 



152 APPENDIX. 

chafe by a light sheathing of oak and au'ice-breaker at the bows, as was the " Corwin.' 
Strengthening the vessel amounts to but little. If fairly caught between two large 
floes no vessel yet built could withstand the pressure. Safety lies in avoiding the nip. 
This our small, quick-moving revenue steamers are better capable of doing than any 
class of vessels ailoat. The " Corwin " was saved from disaster by ice pressure on more 
than one occasion while under my command, when a slower working vessel could not 
have escaped total destruction. I respectfully ask your consideration of my proposi- 
tion. Should you approve it, but not feel authorized under existing laws to detail a 
vessel for the duty, will you not refer it to Congress, with your indorsement ? I should 
esteem it a great favor to be allowed to take part in the search, and in view of my two 
seasons' experience in Arctic ice navigation, believe I might be of some assistance in 
rescuing from certain death the remaining members of the unfortunate party. 
I am, very respectfully, your ob't servant, 

C. L. HOOPER, 

Capt., U.S.E.M. 



[Inclosure 2.] 

U. S. Revenue Marine Stmr. " Richard Rush," 
San Francisco, Cal., December 16, 1883. 
Hon. Chas. J. Folger, 

Secretary of the Treasury, Washington, D. C. 

Sir: About the 4th of November I wrote you in relation to the Lady Franklin Bay 
Expedition, under command of Lieut. Greely, asking permission to join in the attempt 
at rescue which will be made with the opening of navigation in Greenland seas the 
coming spring. Not having received a reply to my cummunication, I take the liberty 
of again referring to the matter, which, in view of my anxiety, I trust you will excuse. 
If my proposition to join in the relief expedition in a revenue cutter should not meet 
with your approval, I respectfully ask permission to otter my services to General 
Hazen, U. S. A., Chief Signal Officer, who, I believe, eontemplates dispatching a 
steam whaler on that duty as soon as spring opens. If possible to do so, I should very 
much prefer going in one of our own vessels, they being better suited to that kind of 
work than any other class of vessels not specially built for it. And, besides, a suc- 
cessful cruise would reflect credit upon the service, while an earnest attempt, although 
not crowned with success, would reflect no discredit upon us. This, however, is a 
secondary consideration, and if I cannot go in a revenue cutter, for the sake of join- 
ing in the work and making use of such poor ability as I possess as a sailor and navi- 
gator in trying to save the lives of the small party of our countrymen who are un- 
doubtedly in great danger, I will gladly go in any way that I may. Trusting that 
my proposition may not meet with your disapprobation, 
I am, very respectfully, your ob'd't servant, 

C. L. HOOPER, 

Captain, U. S. B. M. 



rin closure 3.] 

Treasury Department, Office of the Secretary, 

Washington, 1). C, Dec. 29, 1883. 
Capt. C. L. Hooper, 

San Francisco, Cal. 

Dear Sir : I have received your two recent letters in reference to the Greely Expe- 
dition. Before I could reply definitely it was necessary tirst to determine whether 
there should be any expedition sent to the relief of Lieut. Greely. Since the receipt 
of your last letter 1 have talked with the Secretary of the Navy and the Secretary of 
War about the matter, and they are now discussing it. I do not believe it will be 
possible for a revenue cutter to go north without the authority of Congress. Whether 
you should be detailed to go in a naval vessel is another question, and I have some 
doubt whether you would care to go in a subordinate position or in any other way 
than in command of the vessel. 
Yours, very respectfully, 

CHAS. J. FOLGER, 

Secretary. 



APPENDIX. 153 

[Inclosure 4.] 

U. S. Revenue Marine Steamer "Rush," 

San Francisco, Jan. 4th, 1884. 
Hon. John F. Miller, 

Washington, JJ. C. 

Sir: I respectfully ask your consideration of the inclosed copies of correspondence 
with the Hon. Secretary of the Treasury, in reference to relief for the Greely party. 
As you will see, the Hon. Secretary does not disapprove my plan of sending a revenue 
cutter to join in the relief, hut believes the authority of Congress is necessary. This 
was done in the case of the "Corwin," when sent to search for the " Jeannette," and 
about six thousand dollars appropriated to defray the expense of putting the vessel 
in condition to battle with the ice. 

If, after considering the matter, you do not disapprove it, may I ask that you will 
take such measures as you may think best, with a view to getting the desired au- 
thority for the Hon. Secretary to dispatch a vessel, and an appropriation of five or 
six thousand dollars to prepare her for ice work. I do not ask to go, to the exclusion 
of any one else, but that I may be one among the number. 
Very respectfully, your ob't serv't, 

C. L. HOOPER, 
Capt,, U. 8. E. M. 

January 16, 1884. 
Respectfully referred to the honorable the Secretary of the Navy. 

JNO. F. MILLER. 



EXHIBIT P. 

The New York Associated Press, 
Washington Bureau, 533 Fifteenth Street, 

Washington, I). C, Jan. 7, 1884. 

Dear Sir : I was called before the Greely Relief Board last week unexpectedly, 
having had no time for preparation or for the systematic arrangement of my ideas, 
and my suggestions, as they appear in the stenographer's notes, seem to me very frag- 
mentary , unsatisfactory, and badly expressed. 

If the Board will allow me to do so, I should like to read before it a letter with re- 
gard to sledging and Arctic management generally, which I wrote to Lieut. Greely in 
1881, and which covers all or most of the points about which you questioned me. The 
original of the letter, after being twice taken north, now lies in the bottom of Smith 
Sound, but I have a copy which I should like to put at the service of the Board as a 
substitute for my extempore suggestions of Friday. 
Very truly, yours, 

GEORGE KENNAN. 

Captain Davis. 



Wash'n, June 16, 1882. 

My Dear Lieut. Greely : I regretted very much that I did not have an oppor- 
tunity to see you again before you left "Wash'n for the North last summer, as I had a 
number of suggestions to make with regard to sledging devices, expedients, and 
equipments which I thought might be useful to you. I should have written you at 
Saint John's, but could not possibly get time to do so before you sailed. There seems 
to be a fair probability that Major Beebe, or some other officer of the service, will be 
able to communicate with you this summer, and I avail myself of the opportunity, 
first, to write you a friendly letter, such as I know, from my own Arctic experience, 
you will be very glad to get, and second, to make the suggestions which I desired and 
intended to make last summer. As I may be interrupted before I finish all that I 
have to say, I will begin with the suggestions and let the news take the chauces of 
events. 

My first suggestion relates to a shelter-tent for sledging parties. Before I had spent 
one winter in the field in Northeastern Siberia I was impressed with the necessity for 
some sort of shelter to protect myself from the tremendous storms which sweep 
across those Siberian steppes. Heavy wind, with dense snow-drift, was altogether the 
worst hardship we had to encounter, because it prevented us not only from traveling, 
but from enjoying any sort of comfort in camp. We could neither keep a fire nor 
cook, nor sit with our faces exposed, but were compelled to lie for *20. 40. or 60 hours 
at a time buried in a fur-bag, crawling out at intervals of 6 or 8 hours to get some- 

11 



154 APPENDIX. 

thing to eat, compare notes, and curse the weather. We tried all sorts of tents, from 
the regulation Army tent to the Korak polog, but found them all inadequate. The 
great difficulty was that in a gale of wind, when we wanted shelter most, we couldn't 
get our tents up or make them stand. If we raised the frame first, it was almost im- 
possible, even in half a gale, to stretch the canvas over it. If we tried to raise the 
frame and canvas together, the whole thing collapsed about our ears; and even if, 
on rare occasions, we succeeded in getting the tent up, the air inside was not much 
warmer than outside, and the tent generally blew over in the course of the night. 

Now, since my return to America it has occurred to me that we might have escaped 
three-fourths of the suffering which we had to endure if we had exercised a little 
more ingenuity in the way of devising shelter. I have thought out a tent which 
seems to me free from most of the objectionable features referred to above, and which 
I think I could put up and make stand in any wind short of a gale which would blow 
the canvas all to pieces. The idea was suggested to me by the polog, or skin bed- 
room, of the Siberian Koraks, which affords more perfect shelter and comfort than 
any structure, except a house, which can be put up on an open steppe. Even that, 
however, has to be strengthened and protected by the large outer tent, and the latter 
is too heavy to carry and takes too much time to pitch. 

My tent may be roughly described as follows : The frame- work, which is conical in 
form, consists of six, eight, or more light ashen poles, of such a length that when they 
are set up together in a cone the apex of the cone will be just within reach of a man's 
hand extended above his head. The ends of the poles at the apex of the cone are 
lashed together with a seal-skin thong, very much as the ribs of an umbrella are fast- 
ened together at the top ; they are also fastened together (loosely) near the bottom 
by another thong, running around the base of the cone a foot or more from the ground 
and tied to each pole at such intervals as to govern the width to which the loose coni- 
cal frame-work can be spread, just as the cloth of an umbrella governs the extent to 
which it can be opened; thus — 




This frame- work, so tied together, can be shut up like an umbrella frame or opened 
out until the lower thong is tight. It will open so as to always cover a certain definite 
area, dependent upon the length of the lower thong. Every pole is armed at the 
bottom with a spiked ferule, to prevent slipping on ice or hard snow. This, with the 
exception of a few minor details, is all there is of the frame-work. 

When in use this frame-work is to be anchored by ground tackle, laid out to wind- 
ward and fastened to the apex of the cone by seal-skin thongs. The anchors consist 
of two pieces of inch-and-a-half planking, 30 inches long by 15 in width, with 10 or 
15 large spikes driven through so as to project an inch and a half, or more, on the 
under side. Each anchor has a ring at one end, to which the line from the apex of 
the conical frame- work may be made fast. It is held down and made to bite by the 
weight of a loaded sledge, which is run up on it. Upon going into camp at night in a 
gale all you have to do is to take the frame- work from the sledge, spread it as you 
would open an umbrella and set it up on the snow, carry the anchors out to windward, 
run loaded sledges up on them, and attach them by lines to the apex of the frame-work, 
and the skeleton of the tent is fast beyond the possibility of overturn. The whole 
operation need not occupy two minutes, and I can hardly conceive of a storm which 
would interfere with it. The frame-work could be set up and anchored in the dark, 
by a man who was half frozen. The next thing is to get the canvas on it. Of course, 
it isn't possible to stretch a covering of canvas over a frame-work which has lines run- 
ning out from its apex. It is therefore necessary to hang the tent up inside the frame, 
and this is the principal feature of the device. 

The tent is cut to fit the inside of the conical frame-work, and has a tight bottom 
or floor continuous with the sides. In other words, the tent is virtually a conical 
bag with a flat circular bottom, and may be compared to the body of a conical oil-can, ^ 
with a hook at its apex to hang it up by. When you have set up and anchored your 
frame-work, all that remains to do is to take the canvas bag which constitutes the 
tent in your arms and hang it up inside the apex of the frame-work by the hook in the 
corresponding apex of the tent. No wind can prevent you from doing this, and when 
it is done, no amount of wind can seriously interfere with the complete pitching of 
the tent. All that remains to do is to fasten the sides of the tent out to the poles by 



APPENDIX. 155 

loop and toggle, or hook-and-eye fastenings. Loops or eyes may be permanently af- 
fixed to the poles at intervals of a foot or so with lines of corresponding hooks or tog- 
gles sewn up and down the sides of the tent opposite the poles. The bottom of the 
tent will of course rest on the ground, and, as the bottom or floor is all of one piece 
with the sides, no wind or snow can get in around the base of the cone. The only 
openings to the interior of this bag-like tent area ventilating hole at its throat in the 
apex of the frame- work, and a slit for a door on the lee side of the base. Of course, 
when you get three or four men inside, the tent is further ballasted by their weight, 
since they lie on a bottom or floor which is sewn all around to the sides. My plan 
would be to warm this tent by a Florence kerosene stove. As the protection from 
wind would be perfect, it would burn without flickering or smoking, and would, I 
think, raise the temperature to such a degree — at least in a far tent — as to prevent 
the deposition of moisture in the shape of frost on the sides. An alcohol stove, or any 
Arctic cooking apparatus would do, but I think a kerosene-oil stove would be found 
more effective and economical of fuel. 

In a temperature of — 40° out of doors I have seen the temperature of a Korak skin 
polog raised by a simple blubber and moss lamp to such a degree that it was perfectly 
comfortable to sit in it without furs. Of course a Florence oil-stove is five times as 
efficient as one of those miserable Korak lamps. A tent made of reindeer fur would 
be the best, and it would make up, or nearly make up, for its increased weight by en- 
abling you to dispense with fur sleeping bags. I carried an unusually large fur tent 
to the mouth of the Anadyr and back with 30 days' dog food and 30 days' provisions 
for eleven men. 

I have not fully covered all the details of this tent, because they must be worked 
out in practice according to circumstances. I don't see why the idea is not entirely 
practicable, and I am sure that such a tent could be set up and made to stand in 
almost any wind and upon any kind of a surface. The only question of serious diffi- 
culty which I can think of is the question of moisture. It is possible that the vapor 
from the men's breaths and from the cooking would so moisten the tent as to stiffen 
it with ice so that it could not be readily struck and packed up. This would not be 
as likely, however, to happen with a fur tent as with a tent of simple canvas. We 
never had the slightest trouble with moisture or frost in Korak pologs, even in tem- 
peratures of 50 below. The lamp kept the air warm enough to hold all the moisture 
in suspension inside the polog. It was only when the air made lis escape and be- 
came chilled by contact with the outer air that frost formed, and even around such 
openings the quantity was not great and could be readily brushed off. Nares' and 
Payer's sledge parties seem to have been greatly troubled by the stiffening of their 
tents and clothing from the freezing of the moisture which they contained. We never 
experienced any such difficulty in Siberia, although we had temperatures as low as 
— 68, and I think that in the case of the Nares and Payer sledge parties it must have 
been due, at least in part, to bad management. Men should so graduate the thickness 
of their clothing, in the first place, as to avoid getting into a profuse perspiration while 
at work, and then when they come into camp they shouldn't rush into a tent with 
their furs all full of snow and let it melt as they gradually get warm. That of course 
would load the air with moisture and dampen their clothing so that it would freeze 
stiff the next time they went out. 

As I have before said, I don't think any serious inconvenience would be caused by 
moisture or frost in a, fur tent made on the plan which I have suggested, provided men 
didn't rush into it with damp or snow-packed clothing on. Even in a light cotton 
duck tent made on that principle frost could hardly form more abundantly than it does 
in other tents, while the protection from weather, particularly wind, would be far 
more perfect. If these ideas strike you favorably, please give my tent a trial. Any 
sailor could make one in a few hours. 

The next suggestions which I have to offer relate to clothing and sleeping-bags. From 
the fact that Kane, Markham, Koldeway, Payer, aud Arctic explorers generally repre- 
sent themselves as suffering intensely from cold in temperatures which we endured in 
Siberia with almost perfect comfort, I draw the conclusion that our clothing and equip- 
ment were much superior to theirs. Markham, forexample, in his official report to Nares, 
describes night after night passed in misery in temperatures averaging about 35° below 
zero. Now, I have only to say that if a well man can't sleep out on the snow without any 
shelter whatever in a calm temperature of 35 below without suffering from cold, he is 
either insufficiently fed or improperly clothed. I am not particularly hardy, but I 
have slept out in that temperature just as comfortably as I ever slept at home in a 
bed, and even in a temperature of 50 below I have passed the night without suffering 
anything which could reasonably be called a severe hardship. I did not sleep much, 
and shivered away the night, but the suffering which I endured could not be com- 
pared for instance with that caused by even a moderate toothache. A complete Siberian 
equipment of furs, w r here one is not restricted by lack of transportation, consists of 3 
pairs of fur stockings, 2 pairs of fur boots, one pair of oooioolee or over stockiugs, fur 
pantaloons Cor leggings to cover the knees above the boots,) a fur hood, 3 prs. of mit- 



156 APPENDIX. 

tens, a long squirrel-tail boa to wind around the neck and face, two kookhlankas or 
fur blouses, and a fur sleeping-bag. Some of these articles are luxuries rather than 
absolute necessities, but they are all needful if you wish to travel and camp out 
in comfort. I will take them up in order. 

(1.) Foot-covering. — Foot-covering and sleeping-goaf seem to me the most important 
part of a sledger's outfit. The freezing of the feet should be guarded against in every 
possible way, because it leads directly to total disability and death in the ease of the 
individual, and because it compels the party to either abandon the disabled man or 
dr&g him on a sledge at the expense of slower progress and possible disaster resulting 
therefrom. Every naval Arctic expedition which has sailed from England since Parry, 
and almost every American expedition, has used blanket or duftle wrappings for foot- 
covering instead of fur stockings. All experience goes to show that this is a great 
mistake. In Siberia, where the temperature goes to 70 below, and where (in the 
vicinity of Verkhoyansk) the winter mean is more than 40 below, serious freezing of 
the feet is almost unknown. During my three years' stay there I did not see or hear 
of a single case, either among our own men or among the natives, while on the Nares 
expedition alone more than a dozen men had their feet seriously frost-bitten, four of 
them so seriously as to require amputation They didn't experience any lower tem- 
peratures than we did, and they didn't have in the field anything like the weather that 
a Siberian Cossack encounters in going from Verkhoyansk to Yakoutsk in January 
and February. And yet they lost their toes, while the Cossack goes through foot- 
whole, simply because they didn't know how to take care of their feet and a Cossack 
does. 

I have tried all kinds of fur stockings, and in my judgment the best are those made 
of the heaviest and densest attainable fur of the adult reindeer. They should corre- 
spond in length with the boots, and should be made loose enough to give the freest 
possible play to the foot. 

The boots should have a sole of seal-skin and uppers of seal-skin or fur from the 
leo- of the reindeer. They should also fit very loosely — loosely enough not to pinch 
or draw over auy part of the foot and should come up to the knee. A layer of dried 
grass or straw should be put iuto the boot for the fur stocking to rest on, and this, to- 
gether with the stocking should be thoroughly dried at least once every day and oftener 
if necessary. As long as one's stockings are damp with perspiration the feet can be 
kept warm only by continuous exercise. The Siberian Cossacks are more particular 
about keeping their fur stockings dry than about any other single thing. I have 
seen them take oft' their boots and bare their feet to a piercing wind in the middle of 
the day in order to get on dry stockings, and they would no more think of going to 
bed at night without chauging their stockings and thoroughly drying the moist ones 
than they would of trying to get to sleep with their eyes open. Every other duty 
mav at times be slighted or neglected, but the changing and. dryiug of stockings is 
never under any circumstances forgotten or omitted. 

Where you have nothing but a lamp to dry stockings by it becomes, of course, a 
difficult matter, and that is another reason why the tent which I have suggested (in 
connection with a kerosene-oil stove) seems to me almost a necessity. A Florence 
stove with two or three wicks and a drum heater would dry a large amount of fur 
clothing in a very short time, but you cannot use the stove unless you have a tent 
which will protect it perfectly from wind. This, ordinary tents will not do. If you 
should at any time find it impracticable for any reason to dry your fur stockings by 
artificial heat, change them all the same, and hang the moist ones up. They will part 
with some of their moisture by evaporation even when frozen. In such a case it 
would be well to keep one or two extra pairs of fur stockings to be worn only to sleep 
in, putting on the damp ones again in the morning to walk and work in. The sleep- 
in^ stockings could thus be kept tolerably dry. I lay particular stress upon this sub- 
ject of stockings, because in the course of three years of hard Arctic experience I 
learned its importance. Naval and Arctic Advisory Boards devote pages of instruc- 
tions to matters which are uot half as important to an Arctic expedition as this one 
subject of foot-covering. So far as I can discover from the records of recent Arctic 
expeditions the men's feet have been wretchedly cared for both by day and by night. 
Take for example Markham's report to Nares of his northern sledge journey from Cape 
Joseph Henry out over the ice. His men suffered from cold feet all the time in tem- 
peratures which a Siberian Cossack would laugh at. His second day's record says, 
"Passed a cold, wretched, and sleepless uight, temperature inside the tent being mi- 
nus 15°. Although our foot-gear was placed inside our sleeping-bags, nothing thawed; 
everything was frozen quite hard in the morning. The gauntlet mitts, (!) or hand- 
stockings, as they are called by the men, are admirable for the feet at night-time, but 
they do not suffice to keep them warm." 

They must be admirable if, reinforced by a sleeping-bag, they won't keep the feet 
warm in a temperature of only — 15°! The same day's record continues : "Halted at 
4.45. John Radmore had all the toes of his left foot frost-bitten. Everything frozen 
perfectly hard. Our sleeping-bags resembled sheet-iron." The mean temperature 



APPENDIX. 157 

for this day was — 31°. Third day's record : " Slept a little less uncomfortably, though 
deprived of all feeling in our feet. Temperature inside the tent, minus 23°. " Fourth 
day's record : "Another cold, sleepless night. Temperature inside the tent, — 15°. A 
few slight frost-bites sustained ; Daniel Harley rather severe in the big toe." 

And so the report goes on, recording suffering, sleeplessness, aud frost-bites in tem- 
peratures which we would have regarded in Siberia as fairly mild, and in which we 
never felt so much as serious inconvenience, still less suffering. Markham's men, as 
you see, used blanket foot-wrappings, and it is perfectly evident from every page of 
his report that they totally failed to answer the purpose for which they were intended. 
In fact their whole equipment was deplorably inadequate, although it weighed 714 
pounds for 8 men, or about 90 pounds per man. A Siberian Cossack with half that 
weight of equipment will camp out in comfort in temperatures 20 degrees lower than 
that in which Markham says he passed "a cold, wretched, and sleepless night," and 
will sleep nine hours at a stretch without ever once having the sensation of cold feet. 
Personal hardiness, of course, counts for something, but dress is the main thing. I 
never should have gotten out of Siberia alive if I had passed "a cold, wretched, and 
sleepless night" every time the thermometer got down to — 15°. Minus 35° was my 
lowest limit of comfort, but if there was no wind I didn't seriously suffer with cold 
feet at night until the thermometer went to the neighborhood of — 50°. A man who 
is well fed, whose feet are covered with dry fur stockings and fur boots, and who has 
a sleeping-bag, ought not to suffer with cold feet at night in any temperature above 
— 35°. I always carried with me a pair of bootoolee or thick reindeer-skin over-stock- 
ings, to put on over my boots at night when the cold was very severe, but I rarely 
had occasion to use them. 

(2.) Leg-covering. — The Siberian Cossacks, as a rule, wear reindeer-skin trousers, but 
I found them cumbersome and used instead what the Russians call nakalayniki, which 
are a sort of knee-legging covering the leg from the top of the boot to the thigh. 
Mine were made of grey wolf-skin. 

(3.) Head-covering and face-protectors. — The Siberan head-dress is a red fox-skin hood 
covering the head from the nape of the neck to the eyebrows, with a fringe of long, 
black bear-skin or of squirrel-tails around the face. The hood comes well forward 
over the cheeks so that when you stand sidewlse to a wind it shelters the face from 
flying snow. The best face and nose protector I ever used was a sore of lady's boa, 
six or eight feet long, made of squirrel-tails strung together on a stout cord. This is 
wound around the neck and head until it comes up over the nose. You can breathe 
easily enough through the loose hairs, and yet they afford protection enough to the 
face to keep it from freezing even in a low temperature and a pretty high wind. As 
fast as the boa becomes covered with frost you turn it around or rewind it over the 
face so as to bring a dry part of it in front. It is so long that this can be done almost 
a dozen times before you use up all the dry portions of it. When you come into camp 
it can be dried throughout ready for use again on the next day. 

(4.) Body-covering. — The principal article of the Siberian dress — and, all things con- 
sidered, the most valuable and satisfactory Arctic garment I have ever seen — is the 
kookhlanka, or fur blouse, worn in winter by all the inhabitants of Northeastern 
Siberia, native and Russian. It is practically a long, double, fur shirt, without any 
opening front or back from the neck to the lower edge. It is made of two thicknesses 
of heavy reindeer-skin, with the tanned sides put together, so that the fur comes in- 
side and out. It is cut like a very large, very loose, shirt, long enough to reach the 
calf of the leg, but, as I said before, without any openings, except the neck and arm 
holes. The body of it is purposely made ample enough to contain the bodies of about 
three men, so that when it is girt about the waist with a sash the fur lies over the 
body in plaits, or folds, so as to practically double its thickness. At the back of the 
neck hole there is sewn on a very large hood of the same material, which is so capa- 
cious that when it is drawn up over the head and the other hood, its sides can be 
brought together in front of the face, to protect the latter in storms, and while asleep 
at night. The kookhlanka is always worn tied about the waist with a sash, and it is 
generally pulled up through the sash until the skirts come about to the knee. It then 
drops over the sash in a fold all around the waist. The reasons why I think this gar- 
ment is far in advance of anything worn elsewhere in the north are as follows : 

First. It has no opening to admit wind. If a coat buttons or fastens up in front 
more or less wind always gets in where the sides are brought together. 

Second. It does not permit a circulation of cold air up and down the body inside 
of it. If a loose coat or blouse is worn without a sash, the air which has been warmed 
by the body is continually escaping at the throat, and cold air is blown in at the bot- 
tom to take its place, so that the heat of the body is carried away by a current of 
constantly changing air. 

Third. The kookhlanka above the sash is virtually a capacious bag full of warm air 
which cannot escape, and which surrounds all the vital parts of the body and affords 
great additional protection. In ordinary winter weather, in fact in all weather except 
the severest, I carried a bottle of water inside the breast of my kookhlanka to ice sledge 



158 APPENDIX. 

runners with, and carried it there without its freezing. The upper part of the kookh- 
lanka, above the sash contains three or four gallons of air which is wanned by the 
body, and remains there, affording almost as much protection as an equivalent thick- 
ness of fur and without any corresponding weight. 

Fourth. The kookhlanka is adjustable as to length. If you are walking, running, 
driving a sledge, or doing anything which requires the free play of the legs the 
kookhlanka can be palled up through the sash so that the skirts are above the middle 
of the thigh, and all the slack is about the waist. In sitting still or iu lying down 
to sleep at night the skirts can be pulled down over the knees so as to nearly cover 
the entire leg. 

Fifth. By a little wriggle the arms and hands can be drawn into the body of the 
garment through the sleeves as they always are at night, and thus completely pro- 
tected. It is very convenient, too, in the day-time to be able to draw your hands 
into the body of the kookhlanka when they get very cold and warm them under your 
armpits. Many a time I have relieved aching fingers in that way when I couldn't 
get them warm in any other. In like manner, if the nose or cheeks begin to freeze, 
you can draw your head down through the neck-hole into this reservoir of warm air 
as a turtle draws his head iuto his shell, and thus get at least temporary relief. 
That, too, is often done at night, especially by men who happen to have no sleeping- 
bag. I could enumerate many other useful features of the kookhlanka, but the above 
must suffice. If you ever try one you wouldn't, I think, be satisfied to wear anything 
else. I always carried two kookhlankas with me — one of medium weight for the day- 
time, and one heavy one made long enough to touch the ground all around, to sleep 
in. I picked up a magnificent sleeping kookhlanka among the Chukches the second 
winter I spent in Siberia. It was fully five feet long and three feet wide, and was 
made of the finest and thickest reindeer-skin I have ever seen. In that kookhlanka 
and a good fur sleeping-bag I slept on the snow many nights without shelter, but in 
perfect comfort, in temperatures ranging from — 20° to — 35°. 

In the course of three winters' experience I was never subjected to the slightest 
inconvenience by reason of the freezing and stiffening of my clothing or my sleeping- 
bag. It simply did not happen. Why, I do not know, unless because we took proper 
care of our furs. Markham's furs and sleeping-bags seem to have been frozen hard 
and stiff" more than three-fourths of the time. Our immunity from trouble of this 
kind could hardly have been due to any difference in the general condition of the 
atmosphere. Our temperatures were lower than Markham's and our extreme varia- 
tions as great and as rapid as his. We traveled frequently for weeks at a time in 
fall and winter along the coast of the Okhotsk Sea (which was generally more or 
less open) in dense fogs rising from the water, and still our furs did not stiffen with 
frost. A thin rime of frozen mist frequently formed over them, but it could be readily 
whipped or brushed oft*, aud never caused us any inconvenience. I remember camp- 
ing out oue night on the coast of Penzhinsk Gulf in a dense fog, with a temperature 
of — 25°. I slept warm and comfortable. My sleeping-bag, upon getting up in the 
morning, was covered with rime, like hoar frost, but it was perfectly soft and pliable 
and remained so. I think that the reasons why Markham had so much trouble with 
the freezing of clothing and passed so many wretched sleepless nights were as follows : 

1st. Neither the clothing nor the sleeping-bags of his men were adapted to the 
purposes for which they were intended. The men wore during the day either canvas 
jumpers or duffle blouses, and slept at night in duffle bags. Canvas and duffle are 
very inadequate substitutes for reindeer fur. Duffle blouses are warm enough to work 
in, but every man should have something like a fur kookhlanka to put on as soon as 
he stops working and to sleep in. Every man should furthermore have fur stockings 
instead of blanket wrappings, fur boots iustead of canvas and carpet moccasins, and 
a reindeer-skin instead of a duffle sleeping-bag. 

2d. The men should avoid as far as possible getting into a profuse perspiration in 
the day-time by reducing the clothing worn while working at the drag-ropes to the 
lowest limit consistent with safety. It is a good deal better to be cold than to get 
your clothing wet or moistened through and through with* profuse perspiration. 
Markham's men worked until everything they had on was moist with sweat, and then 
rushed into a tent and got into a duffle bag. For a time the tent was filled with 
moisture from the men's warm bodies and damp clothing, and then, after the cook- 
ing-lamp was put out, the temperature inside the tent fell, the men's damp clothing 
began to get cold on their bodies, the duffle sleeping-bags, which had, of course, ab- 
sorbed moisture from the men's wet clothing, began to freeze and lose their heat- 
retaining properties, the sides of the tent began to stiffen with the moisture which 
they, too, had absorbed, and general misery was the inevitable result. 

On one of Nares, sledge expeditions, which lasted 20 days, the tent and its appur- 
tenances increased in weight by the absorption of moisture from 91 lbs. 7 oz. to 189 
lbs. The sleeping bags increased in the same way from 8 lbs. 2 oz. each to 17 lbs., and 
everything else in the shape of clothing in the same proportion. (Official Reports of 
the Nares Expedition, page 88). Now, this is unquestionably bad management. The 



APPENDIX. 159 

moisture which saturates tents and clothing in that way doesn't come out of the ter- 
restrial atmosphere when the thermometer ranges continuously below zero ; it comes 
from the bodies of men and the cooking of food, and penetrates the fabrics in the 
shape of uncondensed vapor. It is therefore subject to control. 

The course of procedure of a party of Cossacks under such circumstances would be 
somewhat as follows : 

Their personal outfit (for six men) would consist (exclusive of clothes worn) of — 

1 very small tent (to be used simply for the protection of the lamp in cooking and 
not for shelter). 

6 spare kookhlanTcas (to sleep in). 

6 reindeer-skin sleeping-bags. 

6 pairs of spare stockings (reindeer-skin) and 6 pairs of spare mittens. 

If they expected to cross ice where they might meet with sludge or wet snow, they 
would perhaps take spare boots, not otherwise. 

The outfit of the Naies sledging party upon starting out was as follows: 

1 large tent. 

1 coverlet. 

1 spare coverlet. 

1 lower robe. 

1 canvas fioor-cloth. 

1 water-proof floor-cloth. 

6 sleeping-bags (duffle). 

6 knapsacks (with extra foot- wrappings, mittens, &c). 

6 pairs traveling boots. 

This outfit weighed, in round numbers, 300 lbs. ; the outfit of the party of Cos- 
sacks would not exceed 225 lbs. ; a difference in favor of the latter of 75 lbs. At the 
end of 20 days the outfit of the Nares party had doubled in weight from the absorp- 
tion of moisture, thus making 600 lbs. The outfit of the Cossacks would not in- 
crease in weight at all, with the exception of the small tent, which would perhaps be 
ten pounds heavier. The difference of weight in favor of the Cossacks would then be 
365 lbs. ; and the difference in the condition of the men of the respective parties, and 
in the amount of suffering they had endured, would be incalculable. 

The management of the men of the Nares party was about as follows: 

1st. They loaded their sledges with 235 lbs. to the man and had to resort to "double 
banking" and "standing pulls" in order to make an average of two miles a day with 
from three to five journeys back and forth over the same ground. They were conse- 
quently overworked. 

2d. They always floundered through deep snow, sometimes almost up to their waists, 
instead of using snow-shoes. This was wholly unnecessary exertion. 

3d. They would get into a profuse perspiration during the day and come into camp 
at night with their clothing all damp. 

4th. Finding it cold standing around in their moist clothing while supper was being 
prepared, they would all get into the tent and into their duffle bags, and the warmth of 
their still perspiring bodies, together with the heat from the cooking apparatus and 
the steam from the hot water and food, would raise the temperature and fill the tent 
with vapor, thus partially saturating both tent and contents with moisture. 

5th. During the night everything would freeze stiff, the men would suffer so from 
cold as to be unable to sleep, and in the morning they would crawl out of their frozen 
duffle bags unrefreshed and miserable to begin another day of the same experience. 

The management of the Cossack would differ from this in every particular. 

1st. He would use a sledge with runners 4| inches wide at the base instead of 2f 
inches. He would not put a pound more weight on the sledge than its complement 
of men could comfortably draw without " double banking," "standing pulls," or re- 
peated journeys over the same ground. He would allow say, 150 lbs. to a man in- 
stead of the 235 lbs. allowed by the Nares people, but for their average of 2 miles a 
day he would make ten, and thus with a little more than half the food they carried, 
he would accomplish 3 or 4 times the distance made by them, and do it without over- 
exerting or breaking himself down. In all middle temperatures and in traveling over 
snow he would ice his runners as often as once in four hours. Nobody who has'nt tried 
it can appreciate the difference which this little expedient makes. 

2d. In dealing with deep soft snow he would use snow-shoes, lengthening out his 
drag lines to prevent interference of one man with another, and would redistribute 
the weights on his sledges so as to have the lightest go first and the heaviest last. 
In very light, soft and deep snow he would break a road for the sledges by sending 
men ahead on snow-shoes to trample down and consolidate the snow. As a further 
precaution, if when he started out he had any reason to expect deep soft snow, he 
would multiply the number of his sledges and divide up the whole number of his men 
into smaller sledge parties. For example, instead of taking 4 eight-man sledges and 
loading each of them with 1,200 lbs., he would take 8 four-man sledges and load each 
of them with 600 lbs. He would thus distribute the total weight to be carried over 



160 APPENDIX. 

twice the avea of snow which would have to sustain its weight in the first case* 
There is no doubt, in my mind, that this is the correct principle. If it were given 
me as a task to transport l,5001bs. of dead weight with a force often men across 150 
miles of steppe covered with soft fresh snow four feet dee}), and to do it in the quick- 
est possible time, I shouldn't think of putting the whole 1,500 lhs. on one sledge to 
be drawn by my entire force. To drag a 1, 500-lh., sledge through four feet of soft snow 
is an almost hopeless task. It can; of course, he done, but at a very low rate of speed 
— say three or four miles a day — and at the expense of exhausting labor. I Hhould put 
the 1,500 lbs. ou the ten sledges, each to be drawn by one man, and graduate the weights 
from 50 lbs. for the first sledge to 200 lbs. for the last, and I should expect the whole 
caravan to move at the rate of from 10 to 15 miles a day, and without any floundering 
or exhausing labor. The snow-shoes of the first man would make a track in which a 
sledge with only 50 lbs. on it (I would even empty the first sledge entirely, if neces- 
sary) could be drawn without difficulty at a slow walk. For the 2d sledge the track 
would be a little better, for the 3d still better, and by the time the heavier sledges 
got along there would be quite a decent path. It is true I should be dragging about 
300 lbs. of extra weight in the shape of nine extra sledges, but this slight disad- 
vantage would be far more than counterbalanced by the wide distribution of my dead 
weight. A man carries extra weight when he puts on snow-shoes, but it pays. 

3d. The Siberian Cossack would avoid as far as possible getting into a profuse 
perspiration. He would work coolly and steadily, and would graduate his clothing to 
the temperature and to the work which he had in hand, stripping down if necessary 
(as I have seen them do) to shirt, trousers, and light boots without stockings. He 
prefers always to shiver rather than to sweat while at work. His aim seems to be to 
keep as cool as possible while at work and as warm as possible while at rest. He will 
even sit on a sledge all day with cold feet rather than get into a perspiration by run- 
ning to warm them — especially if he fears that he will not be able to find wood for a tire 
at night. One bitter cold day during my first winter in Siberia I spent half the after- 
noon running beside my sledge to warm my feet which were aching with cold. As a 
consequence I got into a profuse perspiration, and twenty minutes after getting back 
on my sledge I would be colder than ever, and would have to run again, keeping on 
all the time my heavy furs, and starting the perspiration anew by every run. Finally, 
one of my old Cossack drivers drove up beside me and said, "It's bad, Bahrin, to run so 
much. Why do you do it?" I replied that my feet were cold. "Do they stay warm 
after you run?" he asked. "No," I said, "and sol have to run again." " Toto "(" that's 
it") he replied gravely, "you have to keep running, and you get yourself all in a sweat 
running in heavy furs, and then when you sit still a few minutes you get cold again 
and your wet fur stockings freeze around your feet, and it is worse than if you hadn't 
run. When night comes you will try hard to keep warm because your underclothes 
will be wet." "But," I said, "what do you do when your feet ache?" He shrugged 
his shoulders, and then added, "If they ache, neecheevo (it is nothing). If they get so 
cold that they stop aching then I run until they ache again ; but get into a sweat — 
no!" The result of this management is that when a Cossack goes into camp at night 
his clothing is fairly dry and Ms kookhlanka absolutely so. Before going to bed he 
ha nges his fur stockings and dries the ones he has taken off if possible ; puts on his 
spare kookhlanka over the other if it is very cold, spreads down his sleeping-bag in the 
lee of a sledge with a pillow if he has one, crawls into it, pulls the capacious hood of 
his sleeping kookhlanka over his head and face, draws his hands and arms out of the 
sleeves into the breast of his inner kookhlanka, and quietly goes to sleep in a tempera- 
ture of — 35°. Frost forms around his face in considerable quantities and in the morn- 
ing he whips it off of his fur hood with a little stick. Otherwise his clothing and 
sleeping-bag are as dry, soft, and pliable as they were the night before, and they will 
continue so until the last day of his journey. I have seen this whole operation per- 
formed hundreds of nights, and I know it by heart. It is hardly necessary to point 
out the superiority of this equipment and this management to those of the Nares 
sledging parties. 

I have omitted to say that in storms when the snow flies the Cossack does not allow 
the fur of his kookhlanka to become packed with the flying flakes, but puts on over 
it what is called a kamlay, which is a long, loose shirt of wash-leather, and wears it 
until he gets into his sleeping-bag at night. 

The Siberian sleepiug-bag is made of reindeer-skin, and those used by the Cossacks 
are generally short, coming up only to the waist, or at most to the armpits. The 
best one I ever had was of double California blanketing, lined with wolf-skins, and 
was about seven feet long, slit down the sides so as to make a flap which could be 
turned back, and then thrown up loosely over the head. This bag, however, was 
three times as heavy as those used by my Cossack drivers. The Cossacks after getting 
into their bags sometimes tied the mouths of them around their bodies loosely with 
their waist-sash to prevent the escape of any of the air which had been warmed by 
their bodies. With a long bag, however, I did not find this necessary. I think a 
good fur sleeping-bag is almost indispensable to comfort in the field. Reindeer-skin 



APPENDIX. 161 

weighs more than duffle or blanketing, but it is far warmer, and all my experience 
goes to show that it is best to secure comfort at night, even at the expense of increased 
weights. As I said before, however, the equipment of a Cossack taken as a whole is 
not only warmer than that of one of Xares' sledgers but is considerably lighter. Mark- 
ham's "coverlet," "spare coverlet," " lower robe," " canvas floor-cloth," and " water- 
proof floor-cloth " were, in my opinion, mere rubbish. If a man has two good Tcook- 
hlankas and a sleeping-bag he needs no "upper robes," "lower robes," and "cover- 
lets." 

My letter seems to be getting to a preposterous length, and I must make my sug- 
gestions briefer. 

With regard to sledges, 1 have nothing to say except that I would have the base or 
friction surface of the runner 4£ inches wide instead of 2£ inches, as it is in the regu- 
lation McClintock sledge. Such a runner goes far more easily over the deep soft snow 
which you will have to deal with than the cutting runner of a McClintock or Nares 
sledge. I am afraid you will not find your boat-sledge as useful or practicable as you 
anticipated. As I have not seen it, however, I may be entirely mistaken about it. I 
presume all of your sledges are, as they should be, lashed together with thongs and 
not pinned. A sledge ought not to be rigid in any part, and the most indestructible 
ones I have ever seen were almost as flexible and elastic as a long basket. The 
Siberian sledge is spanned just forward of the middle by an arch 2-J or 3 feet high, 
made out of a steamed and bent sapling, whose ends are firmly lashed on each side to 
the uprights of the runners. This arch serves as a convenient handle by which the 
sledge may be dragged from one side to the other, lifted or held back in descending 
hills. It seems to me to answer the purpose better than the " up-standers" of the 
Eskimo sledge. If I were you I should take pains to ice my sledge-runners for travel 
over snow. By rubbing them down with a cJoth saturated with water you can put 
on one thin layer after another until the icing is \ to f of an inch in thickness. Care 
must then be taken to avoid bare places of ground, stones, and ice. Such an icing 
will last on snow half a day and will lighten wonderfully the labor of dragging the 
sledge. I should also, if I were in your place, make some experiments with a Hud- 
son Bay sledge, with a view to ascertaining whether it is not better than any other 
in deep soft snow. It consists, as you doubtless know, of two or three long thin 
hoards lashed together side by side by means of cross-pieces, and turned up at the 
forward end in this way : 





Its dimensions are, I believe, 7 to 9 feet in length by 2\ to 3 in width. I have 
always thought that this form of sledge, which is about the same thing as the Ca- 
nadian toboggan, might be drawn over deep soft snow by men on snow-shoes 
much more easily than any other, because it would run on the surface, or sink in 
very little. It would be worth while to make some experiments with it in com- 
parison with sledges of other kinds. It would also be worth while to make some 
careful and accurate experiments upon the amount, in weight, of food with which 
a sledge party can go the greatest distance. To illustrate what I mean, suppose 3 
men start out with 3 sledges loaded with 18 lbs. of food each to see how far they 
can get from their base of supplies and back. Suppose that they eat daily 3 lbs. 
of food per man, and that with their light loads they can march at an average rate 
of speed for the whole time they are out of 25 miles a day. Their food will last 
them 6 days, in which time, at 25 miles a day, they can make 150 miles, or go to 
a distance of 75 miles from their base and back. Take that for one extreme of the 
problem— the extreme of limited food and high speed. Suppose, again, that three 
men start out with three sledges loaded with 300 lbs. of food each, to make a similar 
experiment. Suppose that no one of the three men can draw his own sledge single- 
handed, and that every sledge ha* to be advanced separately by the united strength ol 
the whole party. Every man will then have to go five times over every mile of 
ground made good, and we will suppose that in that way the party is able to make 
an average for the whole journey of 3 miles per day. Their food at 3 pounds daily 
per man will last them 100 days, in which time they will make 300 miles, or reach a 
point 150 miles from their base and get back. Now, it is evident that neither of 
these parties has so managed as to secure the best results in the shape of distance. 
The first party has not gained enough in speed by taking light loads to make up for 
the shortness of the time it can stay in the field, and the last party has not gained 
enough in the number of days it can stay in the field to compensate for the slowness of 
its progress. Somewhere between these two extremes there is a proportion between 
speed and food- weight which would enable a party of 3 men to surpass either of the above 



162 APPENDIX. 

records. Suppose, for example, that 3 men take 150 lbs. of food each, and are able, with, 
that load, to make an average of 2 miles an hour, or 15 miles a day throughout their 
journey. They can stay in the tield 50 days, in which time, at the average rate of 15 
mi lea a day, they will make 750 miles, or reach a point 375 miles from their base and 
get back. 

Of course these estimates are mere suppositions which make no pretentions to prob- 
ability, but they illustrate what I want to bring out, viz, that somewhere between 
the maximum of speed with a minimum of food-weight on the one hand, and the 
minimum of speed with a maximum of food-weight on the other, there is a mean 
proportion of food-weight to speed which will secure the best results in X'oint of 
distance. A man who carries no food at all can't go far, because he can't stay in the 
field. A man who loads himself down with food so that he can make only a mile a 
day can't go far, because, although he can remain indefinitely, in the field, he practi- 
cally accomplishes nothing. What is the effective mean between these two extremes? 
Gait on, in his "Art of Travel," says that the amount of weight which a man can carry 
with the best results is four-ninths of the amount which he can just stand up under. 
In other words, if he can just stagger under 270 lbs. his proper load is 120 lbs. This 
rule holds good, he says, no matter how muscular force is exerted in moving weight 
from place to place. By this rule, if, with the snow in a certain condition, a man can 
just move a sledge weighing 360 lbs., that is, drag it 20 feet with the exertion of all 
his strength, the proper weight for him to haul with the snow in that condition is 
160 lbs. This agrees generally with my experience. 

This whole question is one of great practical importance in Arctic sledging, and de- 
serves investigation by careful experiment. Captain Nares says in his report that " the 
distance to which a sledge party can go depends upon the number of days they can stay 
in the field, and this in turn depends upon the amount of food they can carry." But 
this statement is incorrect, for the reason that it leaves out the most important factor 
of the problem, viz, speed. It would be better to say that the distance to which a 
sledge party can go depends upon the balancing of force, food-weight, and speed. 
There is a certain proportion between those factors which, if maintained, will give 
the highest possible result in distance. If any one of those factors is then increased 
or diminished at the expense of another, the distance made will fall short of the high- 
est attainable distance. The salient features of the orthodox British sledging-school 
are few sledges, heavy food-weight, and low rate of speed. The Siberian sledging 
system is founded on many sledges, so as to widely distribute the total weight, light 
food-supply, and high speed. English explorers (and some Americans, as for instance 
Schwatka) load 10 dogs with 1,500 lbs., or more, so that the animals can just haul the 
load at a very slow walk, and are then satisfied with 10 miles a day (Schwatka's 
average). The Siberian Cossacks reduce the load for 10 dogs to 500 lbs., and make 
an average of 40 miles a day. There is no question as to which is the better of these 
two methods as far as distance is concerned. 1,500 lbs. of food will keep 10 dogs in 
the field 75 days, and in that time they will, by the first method, make 750 miles. 
500 lbs. of food will keep the 10 Cossack dogs in the field 25 days, and in that time 
they will make 900 miles. I made 600 miles in 19 days during the short days of Janu- 
ary, and 400 miles in 7 days in March and the first week of April. Of course such speed 
as this can only be made with light loads and good dogs, and under favorable condi- 
tions. 

Wrangel averaged from 17 to 35 miles a day, even out on the Arctic Ocean among 
heavy hummocks and dealing with substantially the same obstacles as those which 
Markham, Aldrich, and Beaumont encountered. Seventeen miles a day was the lowest 
average he ever made, and that was when he went 175 miles from land out on the 
rough ice of the sea. 

Before I stop I must describe the Siberian snow-shoe to you as I think you will find 
that very useful. It consits of a thin strip of board from 4 to 6 feet in length, by 8 
inches in width, turned up at the forward end like a skate. It is covered all over the 
"bottom with bristly skin from the fore-leg of the reindeer, so put on that the hairs all 
point backward. Sometimes seal-skin is used instead of reindeer-skin. The hair of 
whatever skin is used should be stiff and should lie down closely — that is, grow at an 
acute angle to the skin. The foot of the wearer is attached to the snow-shoe by a 
simple toggle so arranged as to let the heel rise from the shoe at every step, only the 
toe remaining fast. The snow-shoe is never lifted from the snow. The walker sim- 
ply scuffles along in the snow sliding his snow-shoes ahead alternately, but not mak- 
ing the slightest effort to raise them up. The exertion is very light and the speed 
rapid, as the walker gets a spring from this long thin elastic board at every step and 
then slides more or less every step as if he were skating. The bristly hair on the 
bottom of the shoe lets it slip forward as if on soaped glass, but prevents the slightest 
slip backward and gives you a firm footing when you have occasion to pull. You 
can walk up a steep mountain side covered with crusted snow, and not slip back an 
inch. 



APPENDIX. 163 

I have known Tonguses around the Okhotsk Sea to make more than 100 versts (70 
miles) a day on these snow-shoes, when the snow was crusted over enough to bear a 
man's weight, with snow-shoes, but not without. 

Among the miscellaneous suggestions which occur to me are the following : 

Try some experiments upon the cream-colored reindeer moss as food. If the stomach 
will digest and assimilate it, its use may save many lives in Arctic regions. Nordens- 
kjold cooked some and ate it as an experiment, in Spitzbergen. He found it " bitter 
but nutritious," and thought it " could be eaten with relish by hungry men." The 
Siberian Koraks take it from the stomach of the reindeer after it has been partly di- 
gested and eat it in that shape. The questions to be settled are, will the human 
stomach bear the moss or the juice of it without pain, nausea, or any evidence of gas- 
tric disturbance ; and, second, will it temporarily sustain life ? The fatness of .winter- 
killed reindeer shows that this moss is full of flesh and blood-making elements. 
But can the human stomach extract them from it? I should chop the moss up fine 
and try it raw, then boiled, and, finally, if the stomach wouldn't take it in either 
way, I should try soup made of it, or the water in which it had been thoroughly 
boiled. I don't suppose that this moss will taste good, but it is desirable to know 
whether it will sustain life, or help to sustain life, in the last extremity. If I had 
been in poor De Long's place I should have given it a trial before I died. It grows 
abundantly throughout the Arctic regions, and. would be of great value in Arctic ex- 
ploration if any way could be found to make the human body assimilate the food 
elements in it. 

If you have occasion to make a sledge journey for the purpose of accomplishing distance, 
don't forget to consider the Cossack plan of dividing your total weight up into small 
loads, distributing it on a good many sledges, and then, as fast as the sledges are emptied, 
sending them back to your base, each with its complement of men. It's a waste of 
food to keep men with the party who are not absolutely needed to haul, and as the 
total weight is daily growing less, the hauling force may be from time to time cor- 
respondingly diminished. The sledges which are to be the first to go back should be put 
in the lead to break roads and do the brunt of the work, so as to save the strength of 
the men who are to keep on. The sledges which go back may then be sent out again 
to meet the party on its return with fresh supplies of food, or to make caches at points 
agreed on, which the returning party can pick up. There ought to be no danger in 
sending two men back with a light sledge. Wrangel did it when he was out 150 
miles from land on the Arctic Ocean and 300 miles from his base. The men should be 
taught to find their way without the aid of officers. Don't overload your sledges 
with food. The ability to make speed is quite as important as the ability to stay a 
great many days in the field, and the morale of men who are making 15 miles a day is 
far better than that of men who are just struggling along at the rate of 3 or 4 miles a 
day. Men's minds and spirits should be considered as well as their bodies, and there 
is nothing so cheering as the consciousness of making good progress. "Double-bank- 
ing" of sledges, and going back and forth over the same ground to advance sledges 
separately, is heart-breaking work. 

In going over ice in the fall you will often meet with sludge under fresh-fallen 
snow in places where the ice has cracked and let water up through. The temperature 
of the air may be minus 25°, and yet this water will remain unfrozen because it is pro- 
tected by the overlying blanket of snow. Such sludge is very dangerous to the feet, 
and they should be kept out of it by the use of snow-shoes. 

June 20. 

I have just heard that your mail closes to-day, and I must bring this letter to an 
abrupt close. I intended to write you an account of the il Jeannette" disaster from my 
point of view, but shall have to omit it. You will get the principal facts from the 
newspapers. 

And. now, my dear Lieut. Greely, with my most cordial wishes and regard, I must 
bid you good-bye. You have been often in my thoughts during the past winter, and 
will be until yon return, as I hope, in health and safety, crowned with honors. God 
bless you. 

Faithfully, yours, 

GEORGE KENNAN. 



164 



APPENDIX. 



EXHIBIT Q. 

Schedule of provisions supplied to U. S. S. " Rodgers," based upon a strength of 40 men for 
two years, with an allowance for the establishment of depots. 

[See page 820, Report Secretary of the Navy, 1881.1 



Articles. 



Biscuit, in barrels pounds 

Salt beef, in barrels do.. 

Clear salt pork (fat), in barrels do. . 

Flour, in barrels, 150 barrels do . . 

Rice, iu barrels do.. 

Dried apples, in boxes do. . 

Pickles, assorted, in kegs do.. 

Sugar, in barrels do.. 

Tea, in chests do.. 

Coffee, in tius do.. 

Butter, in tins do.. 

Dried vegetables, Alden or Smith process do . . 

Canned tomatoes do . . 

Beans gallons 

Molasses do . . 

Vinegar do. . 

Preserved beef pounds 

Pemmican, in tins do . 

Canned soups cans 

Canned meats pounds 

Sauer-kraut (imported) , in kegs kegs 

Split peas pounds 

Lard do.. 

Cheese, in tins do.. 

Hominy, in tins do. . 

Corn meal, in tins do . . 

Oat meal, in tins do.. 

Macaroni do. . 

Onions, dried (Alden's, or similar process) do.. 

Smoked tongues do.. 

Smoked hams do.. 

Condensed milk do.. 

Oysters, in tins do.. 

Chocolate do.. 

Dried herbs •. do. . 

Celery seed do.. 

Raisins do.. 

G-ooseberries, dried ? or other fruits, cherries, C do . 

Rhubarb, dried ... ) or currants, etc. \ do.. 

Cranberries, in barrels do . . 

Baking-powder (Royal) 

Mustard (Coleman's) 

Black pepper 

Red pepper 

Spices, assorted 

Salt, table pounds 

Seeds, mustard, cress, radish, cabbage, &c do . . 

Lime-juice, in kegs (small) gallons 

Buckwheat flour •. pounds 

Dried prunes do.. 

Pepper sauce, pints bottles 

Tomato catsup do. . 

Tobacco, Navy pounds 

Tobacco, smoking do.. 

Sardines J boxes 

Olive oil, quarts dozen 

Shaker com (Smith's) . pounds 

Pipes, brier- wood, with stems gross 

S. W. soap pounds 

Hops do.. 

Orange and lemon peel do.. 

Currie powder, i-pound bottles bottles 

Whisky barrel 



Quantity. 



War Department, 
Office Commissary-General of Subsistence, 
# Washington, D. C, Feb. 20, 1884. 

Capt. Geo. W. Davis, 

U. S. Army, Recorder, Board of Officers, SfC, Washington, D. C. 

Captain : Iu compliance with the request of the Board of Officers, convened by 

Executive Order, dated Dec. 17, 1883, to consider an expedition to be sent for the 

relief of Lieutenant Greely and his party at Lady Franklin Bay, I have the honor to 

inclose herewith a list of subsistence stores transferred to Lieut. P. H. Ray, 8th In- 



APPENDIX. 



165 



fantry, at San Francisco, Cal., July 12, 1831, for the use of Point Barrow Expedition; 
also a list of subsistence stores furnished Lieut. A. W. Greely, 5th Cavalry, in charge 
of the expedition to Lady Franklin Bay, May 18, 1831. The latter list also shows, as 
requested, the number of rations of each article, which is a component of the Army 
ration ; also the total number of meat rations, bread rations, coffee rations, &c. As 
many of the articles furnished — extracts, canned fruits, spices, &c. — are not compo- 
nents of the ration, are simply furnished for sales (not issues), and no fixed quantity 
of them has ever been established as a ration, or as equivalent to the daily allowance 
of any article of the ration, it is impracticable to express them in rations. At most, 
their value as equivalents could only be approximately given ; therefore, those articles 
are not grouped with the ration articles, but the quantity simply of each article is 
given. 

Respectfully, your ob'd't servant, 

R. MACFEELY, 

Com. Gen'l Subs. 

Enclosure 1. 

List of subsistence stores transferred to Lieut. P. H. Ray, 8th Lnf., at San Francisco, Cal., 
July 12, 1881, for the use of Point Barrow Expedition. 



Articles. 



Pork 

Bacon 

Salt beef 

Fish, pickled mackerel 

Corned beef (2-lb. cans) 

Hard bread 

Beans 

Beans, baked (3-lb. cans) 

Bice 

Cheese, T. A 

Tea, black E.B 

Tea, Oolong 

Tea, green Japan 

Sngar 

Vinegar . - 

Candles, adamantine 

Soap 

Salt, fine 

Soap (salt-water) 

Pepper, black 

Yeast powder (£-lb. tins) 

Wicking 

Allspice 

Apples, dried 

Bacon, breakfast 

Butter 

Chocolate, sweet 

Cigars, ass't'd 

Cinnamon 

Cloves : 

Coffee, Java 

Corn, green 

Crackers, ass't'd 

Flavoring, ex. lemon (2-oz. bots.). 
" vanilla (2-oz. bots.) 

Flour, family 

Ginger 

flam, deviled 

Ham, S. C 

Hops 

Jelly, currant 

Lard 

Macaroni 

Mackerel, fresh (1-lb. cans) 

" (2-lb. cans) 

Matches, safety 

Milk, Eagle 

Mushrooms 

Nutmegs 

Oatmeal 

Oil, olive (gallons) 



Quantities. 



1, 600 lbs. 
2,500 " 
2,000 " 
30 " 
744 cans. 

1, 000 lbs. 
400 *' 
192 cans. 
300 lbs. 

58 " 

60 " 
40 " 

100 '• 
1,100 " 

61 " 
320 " 
300 " 
500 " 

27 " 

25 •« 
128 " 

10 " 

6 " 

520 " 

323 " 

432 " 

48 " 

2, 000, No. 

6 lbs. 
2 " 
755 " 
408 cans. 
200 lbs. 
48 bots. 
24 bots. 
7, 200 lbs. 
12 " 
48 cans. 
1, 546 lbs. 
10 lbs. 
96 cans. 
480 lbs. 
50 lbs. 
48 cans. 
24 " 
720 boxes. 
432 cans. 
24 " 
lib. 
100 " 
12J gallons. 



Articles. 



Onions, aldens 

Oysters 

Onions (cans) 

Peaches 

Peaches, dried 

Pears 

Peas, green, French 

Pepper, red (tins) 

Pepper, red (bottles) 

Pickles, cucumber (gallons) 

Pickles, olives (gallons) 

Pineapples 

Potatoes 

Potatoes, Alden's 

Preserves, damson 

Prunes 

Kaisins, L. L 

Salt, table 

Sardines 

Sauce, cranberry 

Sauce, Worcestershire 

Soap, toilet, transp. glyc 

II II II II 

II II II II 

" " Yankee 

Soap, toilet, B. "Winds'r, large . . . 

Soup, ass't'd 

Starch, corn 

Sugar, cut loaf 

Sugar, gran 

Sugar, powdered 

Syrup 

Tapioca 

Tobacco, chewing 

Tobacco, smoking, Durham 

Tomatoes (2£-lb. cans) 

Tongue 

Wheat, cracked 

Mustard 

Brushes, clothes 

" hair 

Brooms, whisk 

Can-openers 

Needles, ass't'd 

" darning 

Needle-books 

Pins 

Thread, cotton, white and blk . . . 
Thread, linen, white and black. . 

Cotton, darning 

Towels 



Quantities. 



60 lbs. 
96 cans. 

48 " 



100 

48 

200 

1 

32 

20 

10 

24 

1,050 

110 

48 

100 

20 

200 

100 

192 

24 

111 

66 

24 

24 

96 

24 

60 

800 

100 

30 

48 

50 

200 

200 

600 

48 

100 

10 

12, 

6 

24 

12 

200 

50, 

20 

24 

180 

216 

32 

72, 



lbs. 
cans. 

tin. 

bots. 

gallons. 

cans, 
lbs. 

cans. 

lbs. 

i boxes. 

lbs. 

i boxes. 

cans. 

bots. 

cakes. 



cakes. 

cans. 

lbs. 



gallons, 
lbs. 



cans, 
ii 

lbs. 
No. 



papers. 
No. 

papers, 
spools. 

balls. 
No. 



166 



APPENDIX. 



Enclosure 2. 

List of subsistence stores furnished Lieut. A. W. Chreely, 5th Cav. 

Franklin Bay Expedition, May 18, 1881. 



Commanding Ladp 



8,400 
3,000 
4 600 
864 
120 
242 
729 

144 
24 

48 

24 

96 

48 

96 

48 

552 

504 

744 

17, 899 

980 

6,450 

500 

1,720 

25 

140 

280 

40 

2,659 

576 

420 

595 

1, 120 

960 

100 

1,248 

456 

60 

100 

96 

144 

144 

250 

48 

96 

48 

960 

120 

48 

244 

1,008 

1,900 

196 

304 

404 

3,060 

1,060 

108 

192* 



pounds pork 11, 200 rations. 

11 bacon 4,000 " 

" salt beef 3,345* " 

2-lb. cans bee$ corned 2,304 " 

2" " " roast 320 " 

pounds bacon, bkf 322$ " 

" ham, S. C 972 " 



■lb. cans ext. 
it 



of beef. 
" " mutton. 
" crab meat. 
' ' clams. 
" salmon. 
" lobsters. 
u oysters. 
" " shrimps, 
lbs. cheese, 
cans eggs, con'd. 
" soup. 

pounds hard bread 17, 899 rations. 

11 cornmeal 784 " 

" flour,fam 5,733i " 



" macaroni. 

u oat meal. 

" tapioca. 

" cracked wheat. 

" farina. 

M corn starch. 

pounds beans 17, 726$ rations. 

3-lb. cans beans, baked 3,840 " 

lbs. peas, split 2,800 " 

" rice 5,950 " 

" hominy 11,200 " 



evap. 



2*-lb. cans onions, 
gals, onions. 
2£-lbs. cans potatoes. 
3 " " apples. 
1-gal. " apples, 
lbs. do., 

cans asparagus. 
u green corn. 
3-lb. cans peaches, 
lbs. evap., do. 
2-lb. cans pears. 

peas. 

pineapples. 

tomatoes. 

lima beans. 

quinces, 
lbs. prunes, 
cans gooseberries. 

pounds Rio coffee, ro 23, 750 

" Java do 2,205 

" tea 15,200 



2-lb. 
3-lb. 

2 " 

3 " 



rations. 



" chocolate, 
pounds sugar, bro 20,400 rations. 

" " gran 7,066f " 

gals, syrup 5,400 " 

" molasses 9,625 " 



22, 464^ 



24,416i 



41, 516| 



41, 155 



42, 491f 



APPENDIX. 



167 



267 gals, vinegar 26,700 rations. 26,700 

96 bots. pickles. 

250 gals. do. 

18£ bbls. sauer-krant. 

510 lbs. candles 34,000 rations. 34,000 

240 lbs. soap 6,000 rations. 

200 " " saltwater 5,000 " 

11, 000 

288 cakes " toilet. 

1,568 lbs. salt 39,200 rations. 

190 " do. table 4,750 " 

43, 950 

75 lbs. pepper, bPk 30,000 rations. 30,000 

10 " " Chili, col. 

12 bots. " Tobasco. 

108 lbs. yeast powder 2,700 " 2,700 

100 " bops. 

5 lbs. allspice. 
3,024 " butter. 
5 " cinnamon. 
5 " cloves. 

24 bots. lemon ext. 
24 " vanilla. 

100 p'k'ts gelatine. 

10 lbs. ginger. 

48 cans jam. 
144 " jelly. 

78 lbs. lard. 

288 boxes matches. 

1, 920 cans milk. 

198 lbs. mustard. 
5 " nutmeg. 

12 bots. olive oil. 

96 pipes. 

240 pipe-stems. 

144 cans preserves. 

96 jars do. 
140-J lbs. raisins. 

1, 008 cans cranb. sauce, 

24 " Wor. & Tobin's sauce. 

1. 000 lbs. tobacco, plug. 
325 " " smoking. 

24 bots. celery extract. 

180 lbs. figs, 

192 cans gooseberries. 



Signal Office, War Department, 

Washington City, FeVy 23, 1884. 
The President, 

Board on Expedition for Belief of Lieutenant Greely, Washington, D. C. 

Sir : In compliance witb your request of 18th instant, for a list of such articles of 
food supplied to Lieutenant Greely and taken by him to Lady Franklin Bay, and also 
a list of food supplies furnished Lieutenant Eay while in command of Point Barrow, 
other than the articles of subsistence stores furnished these officers by the Commis- 
sary Department, I have the honor to inclose herewith the lists requested. 
I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

W. B. HAZEN, 
Brig, and Bvt. Maj. Gen' I, Chief Signal Officer, U. S.A. 

Three enclosures. 



168 



APPENDIX. 



[Enclosure 1.] 
Food supplies furnished Lieutenant A. W. Greely. 



24 cans (3 lbs.) tamarinds. 


24 cans (5 lbs.) pear butter. 


48 bot's (pints) horse radish. 


12 " • " plum " 


24 cans (2 lbs.) orange marmalade. 


24 " (3 lbs.) plum " 


oOlbi 


i. pitted cherries. 


24 " (£ lbs.) currie powder 


96 cans (2 lbs.) blueberries. 


6 jars Canton ginger. 


48 ' 


(2 lbs.) whortleberries. 


12 pkgs. herbs, assorted. 


24 u 


(2 lbs.) white ox-heart cherries. 


12 bot's extracts " 


48 " 


(3£ lbs.) Cala. grapes. 


6 kegs, 2 galls., olives. 


48 » 


" " pears. 


8£ bbls. cider. 


72 " 


(3 lbs.) squash. 


128 lbs. Brazil nuts. 


48 u 


" okra. 


144 lbs. dates. 


144 " 


(2 lbs.) carrots. 


30 " cocoanut (Schepps.) 


144 " 


" turnips. 


100 galls, lime-juice. 


144 ' 


' " beets. 


100 " N. E. rum. 


120 " 


" sausage. 


125 " lime-juice. 


24 " 


(5 lbs.) peach butter. 


3,667 pounds dried fish. 


24 ' 


" quince " 


3,540 " pemmican. 






The above is a correct list of stores furnished Lieutenant Greely for subsistence 
purposes by the Signal Office from the appropriation " Observation, Arctic Seas," &c, 
as shown by the records of that office. 

LOUIS V. CAZIARC, 
1st Lieutenant, 2d Artillery, Acting Signal Officer. 

Signal Office, War Department, 

Washington, D. C, Feb. 23, 1884. 

[Enclosure 2.1 

List of subsistence stores, Signal property, received by 1st Lieut. P. H. Ray, com'dh/ Point 

Barrow Expedition, 1881-'82. 

1,542 pounds ship bread, 40 gallons lime-juice, 20 pounds corn-meal, 270 pounds pem- 
mican, 1 barrel whisky (45 galls.). 

The above is a correct list of stores furnished Lieut. Ray for subsistence purposes 
by the Signal Office from the appropriation " Observation, Arctic Seas," &c, as shown 
by the records of that office. 

LOUIS V. CAZIARC, 
1st Lieut., 2d Artillery, A. S. O. 
Signal Office, War Department, 

Washington, D. C, Feb. 23, 1884. 

[Enclosure 3.] 

List of subsistence stores, Signal property, received by 1st Lieut. P. H. Bay, commanding 

Point Barrow Expedition, 1882-'83. 

1,000 pounds canned corned beef, 300 pounds canned baked beans, 25 pounds canned 
sweet chocolate, 48 cans clams, 50 pounds buckwheat flour, 100 pounds Graham flour, 
50 pounds pumpkin flour, 20 gallons cucumber pickles, 5 gallons pickled olives, 1,000 
pounds potatoes, 475 pounds Alden's potatoes, 75 gallons maple syrup, 500 pounds corn- 
meal, 500 pounds hard bread. 

The above is a correct list of stores furnished Lt. Ray for subsistence purposes by 
the Signal Office from the appropriation "Observation, Arctic Seas," &c, as shown 
by the records of that office. 

LOUIS V. CAZIARC, 
1st Lieut., 2d Artillery, A. S. O. 
Signal Office, War Department, 

Washington, D. C, Feb. 23, 1884. 



APPENDIX. 

EXHIBIT R. 

Medical outfit of U. S. S. "Rodgers" for two years' service in Arctic regions, 1881 
[From Report of Secretary of the Navy, pp. 821 and 822.] 



169 



Articles. 



Quantity. 



Articles. 



Medicines. 

Acacia? pulvis, 8-oz. bots lb. 

Acidum aceticum, 8-oz. bots lb . 

Acidum carbol. cryst., 2-oz. g. s. bots. lb. 
Acidum carbolicum, imp., 1-lb. bots. lb. 

Acidum citricum, 8-oz. bots lb. 

Acidum muriaticum, 4-oz. g. s. bots. .oz. 

Acidum nitricum, 4-oz. g. s. bots lb. 

Acidum salicylicum, 2£ gr. pills no. 

Acidum sulphuricuiu, 4-oz. g. s. bots.oz. 
Acidum sulphur, aromat., 4-oz. g. s. 

bots ... lb. 

Acidum tannicum, 1-oz. bots oz. 

Acidum tartaricum, 8-oz. bots lb . 

Aconiti radicis ext. fluid, 2-oz. bots..oz. 

.ZEther, 8-oz. tins lb. 

.ZEtherisspiritus comp. , 4-oz. g. s.bots.lb. 
,2Etherisspiritusnitro8,8-oz.g. s.bots.lb 

Alcohol, pint bots pts. 

Aloin, £-gr. pills no. 

Alumenr8-oz. bots lb . 

Ammonia? aqua, 8-oz. g. s. bots lb . 

Ammonii carbonas, 4-oz. bots lb . 

Ammonii chloridum, 8-oz. bots lb . 

Ammonite spirit, arom., 4-oz. g. s.bots.lb. 
Antimonii et potass, tart., 1-oz. bots.oz. 

Argenti nitras, 1-oz. bots oz. 

Argenti nitras fusa. 1-oz. bots oz. 

Atropine sulphas, 1-dr. g. s. bots dr. 

Belladon. ext. ale, 1-oz. g. jars oz. 

Bismuth, subcarb., 2-oz. bots oz., 

Buchu ext. fluid, 8-oz. bots lb. 

Camphora, 4-oz. bots lb. 

Cannabis indie, ext. ale, 1-oz. g. jars.oz 

Cantharidis (plasters) no. 

Cantharidis tinct., 2-oz. bots oz. 

Capsici ext. fluid, 4-oz. bots lb. 

Chloral hydras, 1-oz. g. s. bots oz. 

Chloroformuni purificat., 1-lb. g. s. 

bots lb. 

Chloroformum irapurum lb . 

Cinchona? ext. fluid, comp ,8-oz. bots. lb. 

Colcbici sem. ext. fluid, 4-oz. bots oz. 

Collodium, 1-oz. bots oz. 

Colocynth ex. comp., 1-oz. g. jars oz. 

Copaiba, 1-lb. bots. lb. 

Creta prseparata, 8-oz. bots lb 

Cupri sulphas, 2-oz. bots oz. 

Digitalis tinctura, 2-oz. bots oz 

Ergota? ext. fluid, 4-oz. bots oz. 

Ferri chlorodi tinctura, 8-oz. g. s.bots.lb. 

Ferri et potass, tart, 8-oz. bots lb . 

Ferri subsulph. liq., 1-oz. g. s. bots. ..oz. 

Ferri sulphas, 5-lb. box lb. 

Filicis oleo-resina oz. 

Gentiana? extractum, 1-oz. g. jars ... oz. 

Glycerina, 8-oz. bots lb. 

Glycyrrhiza? ext., paper lb. 

Glycyrrhiza? pulvis, 4-oz. bots oz. 

Hydrarg. chlor. corros., 1-oz. bots . . .oz. 

Hydrarg. chlor. mite., 2-oz. bots lb. 

Hydrarg. iodid. viride, 1-oz. bots oz. 

Hydrarg. nitrat. unguent, 2-oz. jars. .lb. 

Hydrarg. pilul., 3 gr. each no 

Hydrarg. unguent, 8-oz. jars lb. 

Hyoscyami ext. ale, 1-oz. g. jars oz. 

Iodinium, 1-oz. g. s. bots oz . 

Iodoformum, 1-oz. bots oz. 

Ipecacuanha? pulvis, 4-oz. bots lb . 

Ipecacuanha? pulvis comp. , 8-oz. bots . lb . 

Jalapa? ext., 1-oz. g. jars oz. 

Lavand. spirit comp., 1-lb. bots lb. 

Lini farina, 5-lb. tins lb 

Linum, 5-lb. tins lb. 

Magnesia, 4-oz. bots lb. 

Magnesii sulph., 8-lb. tins lb. 

12 



4 
6 
4 
1 
500 



1 
4 
2 
6 
1 

i 

4 
500 



1 
4 
4 
2 
1 
2 
1 

I 

1 

20 

2 



2 

8 
1 
4 
2 
2 
5 
1 
2 
2 
4 
3 
3 
8 
10 
4 
4 
6 

** 

2 



500 
2 
1 
1 
1 

i 1 

1 

1 

25 

5 

I 

16 



Medicines— Continued. 

Menth. pip. nL, 1-oz. bots oz. 

Morphia; .sulphas, 1-dr. bots oz. 

Morrhua? oleum, 1-pt. bots pts. 

Myrrha, 2-oz. bots oz. 

Nucis vomica? ext. ale, 1-oz. g. jars ..oz. 

Oliva? oleum, 1-pt. bots pts. 

Opii pulvis, 2-oz. bots oz . 

Opii tinctura, lib. bots lb. 

Opii tinctura camph., 1-lb. bots lb. 

Pepsina, 1-oz. bottles oz . 

Pilul. cathart. comp., 1-oz. bots no. 

Pilul. rhei comp no . 

Plumbi acetas, 8-oz. bots lb . 

Podophylli resina, |-oz. bots oz . 

Potass, arsenit. liq., 4-oz. bots oz . 

Potass, acetyl s, 8-oz. bots lb . 

Potass, bicarb., 8-oz. bots lb. 

Potass. bichromas,8-oz.bots., battery, lb. 

Potass, bitart., 8-oz. bottles lb . 

Potass, chloras, 8-oz. bots lb. 

Potass, et sod. tart., 1-lb. bots lb. 

£ j| Potass, nitras, 8-oz. bots. lb. 

Potass, permanganes, 1-oz. bots oz. 

Potassii bromidum, 8-oz. bots lb. 

Potassii iodidum, 8-oz. bots lb . 

Pruni virg. ext. fluid, 8-oz. bots lb. 

Quinia? sulphas oz . 

Resina? eeratum, 1-lb. tins lb. 

Ricini oleum, 1-pt. bots pts. 

Rhei ext. fluid, 4-oz. bots oz. 

Rhei pulvis, 4-oz. bots oz. 

Sapo lb. 

Saponis linimentum, 1-lb. bots lb. 

Scilla? syrupus, 1-lb. bots lb. 

Senega? ext. fluid, 8-oz. bots lb. 

Senna? ext. fluid comp., 8-oz. bots lb. 

Sinapis pulvis, 2-lb. tins lb . 

Sodii bicarbonas, 1-lb. bots lb. 

Sodii boras, 8-oz. bots lb. 

Soda? chlor. liquor, 1-lb. g. s. bots '.lb. 

Sulphur lb. 

Terebinth, oleum, 1-pt. bots pts. 

Theobroina? oleum, 2 oz 

Tiglii oleum, 1-oz. bots oz. 

Valeriana? ext. fluid, 8-oz. bots lb . 

Vaseline lb. 

Zinci. carb. pra?cip., 1-oz. bots oz. 

Zinci sulphas, 1-oz. bots oz 

Zingiberis ext. fluid, 8-oz. bots lb . 

Additional. 

Simonis oleum, pur , oz. 

Hospital Stokes. 

Brandy, 1-pt. bots pts. 

Corn-starch, 2 lb. tins lb. 

Extract of beef 2-oz. jars lb. 

Nutmegs oz. 

Sugar, white, 5-lb. cans lb. 

Tapioca, 2-lb. tins lb . 

Tea, black, 8-oz. tins lb. 

Whisky, 1-pt. bots pts. 

Wine, port, 1-pt. bots pts- 

Wine, sherry, 1-pt. bots pts . 

Surgical Instruments. 

Aspirator no. 

Bougies, gum no. 

Bougies, o. p no. 

Catheters, gum no. 

Catheters, o. p no . 

Catheters, silver no . 



Quantity. 



1 

1 

40 

2 

1 

20 

4 

4 

C 

2 

500 

200 



2 
2 
2 

I 

4 

2 
20 
4 
4 
5 
5 
2 



10 

4 
x 
S 

5 

1 

2 

8 

1 

1 
10 

8 

2 

2 



24 

10 

5 

2 

10 

6 

1 

36 

12 

12 



1 
12 
6 
6 
3 
3 



170 



APPENDIX. 

Medical outfit of U. S. S. " Rodger s," fc— Continued. 




Surgical Instruments — Continued. 



Case, dental, Xo. 1 no. 

Case, expeditionary and boat no. 

Case, general operating, small no. 

Case, pocket no. 

Cast-, urinary no. 

Cupping-glasses no. 

Galvanic battery no. 

Laryngoscope no. 

Ophthalmoscope no. 

Razor no. 

Razor-strop no . 

Scarificator no. 

Speculum, anal no. 

Speculum, aural set. 

Stethoscope, double no. 

Stomach-pump no. 

Syringes, enema no . 

Syringes, hypodermic (sp. req.) no. 

Syringes. p. v glass no. 

Syringes p. rubber no. 

Syringes, self- injecting no . 

Thermometers, clinical set. 

Tourniquets, field no. 

Tourniquets, screw no. 

Urinometer no. 

Surgical Appliances. 

Bandages, roller no.! 

Bandages, Esrnarch's no. 

Bandages, suspensory no . 

Binder's boards no. 

Buckskins no. 

Cotton batting, lib. packages lb. 

Flannel yds. 

Gypsum, calcined, 5-lb. tins lb. 

Ligature, silk .oz. 

Ligature, wire, 1-yd. rolls yds. 

Lint, patent, about 40 yds .lb . 

Muslin piece . 

Muslin, oiled, 1-yd. rolls yds. 

Needles, thimble , and thread set. 

Pencils, hair no. 

Pins lb . 

Plaster, adhesive, 5-yd. rolls yds. 

Plaster, isinglass, 1-yd. rolls yds . 

Silk, gray yds . 

Splints set . 

Sponge, bath lb. 

Sponge, surgical lb . 

Tape" pieces. 

Tape-line no. 

Trusses, single no. 

Trusses, double no . 

"Wax, yellow lb. 

Dispensary Furniture. 

Apparatus-stand no. 

Apparatus, atmospheric no. 

Boat medicine-chest no . 

Corks, bottle gross 

Corks, vial gross. 

Cork-extractor no. 

Corkscrew no. 

Funnels, glass no. 

Funnels, gutta-percha no. 

Gallicups no. 

Grater, nutmeg no. 

Lamp, nursery no . 

Litmus paper, red hot. 

Litmus i>aper, blue hot. 

Measures, tin, pint no. 

Measures, tin, J-pint no. 

Measures, glass, 8-ounce no. 

Measures, glass, 4-ounce no. 

Measures, glass, 2-ounce no. 



1 
1 
1 
1 
1 

12 
1 
I 
1 
I 
1 
1 
1 
1 
1 
1 
1 
1 
6 
6 
2 
1 

12 
3 
1 



12 

1 
12 

2 

2 

2 

8 
15 

i 

2 

4 
1 
2 
1 

12 

i 

4 

15 
2 
4 
1 
1 
2 
2 
2 
6 
2 
1 



Disi'ensary Furniture— Continued. 



Measures, glass, 1-ounce no. 

Measures, glass, 1-drachm no. 

Mortar and pestle, glass no. 

Mortar and pestle, wedgewood no. 

Percolator no . 

Pill-boxes, paper doz 

Pill-boxes, wood doz . 

Pill-tile no. 

Psyehrometer no . 

Scales, apothecary's no. 

Scale-case no. 

Scissors pairs . 

Sheepskins no. 

Spatulas, 6-inch no . 

Spatulas. 5-inch no. 

Spatulas, 4-inch no. 

Spatulas. 3-inch no. 

Spirit lamp no. 

Test-case no . 

Test-tubes no 

Tubing, glass lb. 

Twine" " lb. 

Yials. assorted doz . 

Weights, apothecary's set. 

Hospital Furniture. 

Basin and pitcher, metal no 

Basin, tin, dressing no. 

Bed-pan no. 

Brush, dust no. 

Bucket, tin no. 

Bucket, wood no. 

Candlesticks no. 

Close-stool, small no. 

Feeding-cups . no. 

Knives and forks no. 

Ladle no. 

Lamp, hanging bulkhead no. 

Lantern, hand no . 

Mugs no. 

Pans no . 

Sauce-pans no . 

Shovels, dust no . 

Spit-cups no. 

Spoons, table no. 

Spoons, tea no . 

Tea-pot no. 

Tumblers no 

Frinals, glass no . 

Wine-glasses no. 

Bedding. 

Pillow cases, gum no . 

Sheets, gum no. 

Towels no . 

Books. 

Dispensatory no. 

Park's Hygiene no. 

Formulary no 

Stationery. 

Blank book, foolscap, 4-quire no. 

Blank book, foolscap, 2-quire no. 

Blank book, small quarto no . 

Envelopes, official no. 

Envelopes, small no. 

Erasure, knife no 

India rubber pieces. 

Ink, black hot. 

Ink, red hot. 

Inkstands no. 

Lead-pencils no. 



APPENDIX. 

Medical outfit of TJ. S. S. "Rodgers" $c. — Continued. 



171 



Articles. 



Stationery— C ontinued. 

Medical journals no. 

Mucilage bot. 

Paper, blotting qrs 

Paper, envelope qrs . 

Paper, filtering qrs . 

Paper, foolscap qrs. 

Paper, official qrs. 

Paper, letter qrs. 

Paper, ruled, note qrs . 



Quantity. 



2 
2 
1 
2 

1 
10 

5 
10 

5 



Articles. 



Quantity. 



Stationery— Continued. 

Paper, -wrapping, blue qrs . 

Paper, wrapping, white qrs 

Penholders no. 

Penknives no . 

Fens, steel box 

Portfolios no. 

Quills no 

Rulers no. 



2 

12 
1 
1 
1 

24 
1 



War Department, 
Surgeon-General's Office, 
Washington, D. C, February!, 1884. 
Captain Geo. W. Davis, 

lAth TJ. S. Infantry, Washington, D. C. 

Sir: I am instructed by the Surgeon-General to transmit to you, as requested in 
your letter of the 2d instant, a copy of the invoice of hospital supplies issued to Acting 
Assistant Surgeon Geo. S. Oldmixon, in July, 1881, for the use of the detachment com- 
manded by Lieutenant P. H. Ray, 8th U. S. Infantry, stationed in 1881-'2 and '3 at 
Point Barrow, Alaska ; also a copy of the invoice of hospital supplies issued to Lieu- 
tenant A. W. Greely, 5th U. S. Cavalry, in May, 1881, for the use of the detachment 
commanded by him, and known as the "Lady Franklin Bay Expedition." 

I have to inform you also that the medical officer (Dr. Oldmixon) who accompanied 
the expedition to Point Barrow has not made to this office any report on the health 
and sanitary condition of the men composing the detachment. 
Very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

D. L. HUNTINGTON, 

Surgeon, TJ. S. Army, 
Two inclosure8. 



[Enclosure 1 . | 



Invoice of medicines, hospital stores, bedding, fyc, contained in 17 packages, issued to AcVg 
Asst. Surg. Geo. S. Oldmixon, TJ. S. Army, for Point Barrow, Alaska, expedition, by 
Capt.H. Johnson, Medical Storekeeper, TJ. S. A., at San Francisco, Cal., July 9, 1881. 



Articles. 



I.— Regular List. 
Medicines. 

Acid, carbolic, for disinfection, in 1-lb. 
bottles, 95 per cent lb. 

Acid, carbolic, pure, crystallized, in 4- 
oz. g. s. bottles oz. 

Acid, citric, in 6-oz. bottles oz. 

Acid, muriatic, in 8-oz. g. s. bottles.. oz. 

Acid, nitric, in 4-oz. g. s. bottles oz. 

Acid, sulphuric, in 4-oz. g. s. bottles. oz. 

Acid, tannic, in 1-oz. bottles oz. 

Alcohol, in 32-oz. bottles bott. 

Ammonia, carbonate of, in 8o-z. bot- 
tles . oz . 

Ammonia, solution of, in 8-oz. g. s. bot- 
tles oz. 

Arsenite of potassa, solution of (Fow- 
ler's solution), in 4-oz. bot oz. 

Bismuth, subnitrate of, in 2-oz bot- 
tles oz. 

Borax, powdered, in 8-oz. bottles ...oz. 

Camphor, in 8-oz. bottles oz . 

Castor oil, in 32-oz. bottles bott . 



Quantity. 



8 
96 
8 
8 
8 
3 
24 

16 

16 



4 

8 

24 

4 



Articles. 



Medicines — Continued. 

Cerate, blistering, in 8-oz. tins oz 

Cerate, resin, in l-lb. tins lb 

Chloral, hydrate of, in 1-oz. g. s. bot- 
tles . . oz 

Chloroform, purified, in 8-oz. g. s. bot- 
tles oz 

Colchicum seed, fluid extract of, in 4- 

oz. bottles 

Colocynth, compound extract of, pow- 
dered, in 8-oz. bottles oz 

Copper, sulphate of, in 2-oz. bottles. oz 

Croton oil, in 1-oz. g. s. bottles oz 

Ergot, fluid extract of, in 4-oz. g. s. bot- 
tles oz 

Ether, compound spirits of (Hoffman's 

anodyne) , in 8-oz. g. s. bot oz . 

Ether, stronger, for anaesthesia, in 1-lb. 

tins oz , 

Ether, spirit of nitrous (sweet spirits 

of nitre), in 8-oz. g. s. bot oz 

Flaxseed meal, in tins lb 

Ginger, fluid extract of, in 8-oz. bot- 
tles oz 



Quantity. 



8 
1 

6 

32 

4 

8 
4 

1 

4 

8 

8 

16 
24 



172 



APPENDIX. 

Invoice of medicines, hospital store*, balding, fa. — Continued. 



Art i 



Medicines — Continued. 

Glycerine, pure, in 8-oz. bottles oz. 

Iodine, in 1-oz, p. s. bottles oz. 

Iron, solution of the subsulphate of, in 
1-oz. bottles oz 

Iron, tincture of the chloride of, in 8- 
oz. g. s. bottles oz . 

Jalap, powdered, in 4-oz. bottles oz. 

Lead, acetate of, in 8-oz. bottles oz 

Liquorice root, powdered, in 8-oz. bot- 
tles oz. 

Magnesia, sulphate of, in 8-lb. tins. .lb. 

Mercurial ointment, in 1-lb. pots . . lb. 

Mereur\ , corrosive chloride of (corro- 
sive sublimate) , in 1-oz. bot oz . 

Mercury, mild chloride of (calomel), in 
2-oz. bottles oz . 

Mercury, ointment of nitrate of (cit- 
rine ointment), in 4-oz. pots. . oz. 

Mercury, pill of (blue mass), in 8-oz. 
pots oz 

Morphia, sulphate of, in £-oz. bottles . oz . 

Mustard seed, black, ground, in 6-lb. 
tins lb. 

Olive oil. in 1-pint bottles bott 

Opium, camphorated tincture of, in 8- 
oz bottles oz. 

Opium, compound powder of (Dover's 
powder), in 8-oz. bottles oz. 

Opium, powdered, in 8-oz. bottles . ..oz 

Opium, tincture of (laudanum), in 8-oz. 
bottles oz. 

Pepper, cayenne, ground, in 8-oz. bot- 
tles oz. 

Peppermint.spiritof, in 4-oz. bottles oz. 

Pills, camphor (grains two), and opi- 
um (grain one), in bottles . no. 

Pills, compound cathartic, in bottles no. 

Podophyllum. resin of. inl-oz. bottles, oz 

Potassa, acetate of, in 8-oz. bottles.. oz 

Potassa, bicarbonate of, in 8-oz. bot- 
tles. . oz 

Potassa, bitartrate of, powdered (cream 
of tartar), in 8-oz. bot oz. 

Potassa. chlorate of, powdered, in 8-oz. 
bottles oz. 

Potassa, nitrate of, powdered, in 8-oz. 
bottles oz. 

Potassa, permanganate of, in 1-oz. bot- 
tles oz. 

Potassium, bromide of, in 4-oz. bot- 
tles oz. 

Potassium, iodide of, in 8-oz. bottles. oz 

Quinia. sulphate of, in 1-oz. bottles, or 
compressed in tins oz. 

Rhubarb, powdered, in 4 oz. bottles. oz. 

Rochelle salt, powdered, in 8-oz. bot- 
tles oz . 

Santonin, in 1-oz. bottles oz. 

Seneka, fluid extract of, in 8-oz. bot- 
tles oz. 

Silver, nitrate of, in crystals, in 1-oz. g. 
s. bottles oz . 

Silver, nitrate of, fused, in 1-oz. g. s. 
bottles oz. 

Soap, castile, in paper lb. 

Soda, bicarbonate of, in 8-oz. bottles oz. 

Soda, chlorinated solution of, in 1-lb. g. 
8. bottles . ... lb. 

Squill, sirup of. in 1-lb. bottles lb. 

Strychnia, in £ oz. bottles oz. 

Sulphur, washed, in 8-oz -bottles .. oz. 

Turpentine, oil of, in 32-oz. bottles. bott. 

"Wax. white, in paper oz. 

Zinc, sulphate of, in 1-oz. bottles. ..oz. 

Myrrh, in 4-oz. bottles oz 

Hospital Stores. 

Arrow-root, in tins lb . 

Barley, in tins lb. 



Quantity. 



1G 
3 

4 

16 
4 
8 

16 
8 

1 



8 

1 

6 
12 

16 

8 
8 

16 

8 
16 

100 

100 

1 

8 
16 
80 
24 
82 

2 

16 
16 

10 
4 

16 
1 

8 

2 

2 
16 
16 

2 
5 

i 

16 
4 
6 
4 
8 



Articles. 



Hospital Stokes — Continued. 

Beef, extract of, Lit-big's, in porcelain 

jars lb 

Brandy, in 32-oz. bottles bott. 

Candles, paraftine lb 

Farina, in tins lb 

Milk, concentrated, in 1-lb. tins lb. 

Nutmegs. in 2-oz. bottles oz 

Pepper, black, ground, in 4-oz. bottles, oz 
Sugar, white, crushed, in boxes or 

tins lb 

Tea, black, in tins or original chests. lb 
Whisky, in 32-oz. bottles bott 

II.— Articles Expendable. 
Instruments. 

Probangs no . 

Syringes, penis, glass no. 

Syringes, penis, rubber no. 

Trusses, single no. 

Dressings. 

Bandages doz. 

Bandages, suspensory no . 

Binder's boards, 2^ by 12 inches. pieces . 

Binder's boards, 4 by 17 inches ..pieces. 

Cotton bats no. 

Cotton wadding sheets. 

Flannel, red, all wool yds. 

Cutta-percha cloth yds. 

Lint, patent .' lb. 

Lint, pickod lb 

Muslin, unbleached, unsized, 1 yard 
wide *-3"ds. 

Needles, cotton, thimble, in case ... no 

Oiled muslin, in 2-yard pieces yds. 

Oiled silk, in 2-yard pieces . yds . 

Plaster of paris, in 5-lb. tins ..lb. 

Pencils, hair (assorted sizes)in vials.no. 

Pins papers. 

Plaster, adhesive, 5 yards in a can. yds. 

Plaster, isinglass, 1 yard in a case. .yds. 

Silk, gray, for shades yds. 

Silk, ligature . . oz . 

Splints sets. 

Splints, Smith's anterior no. 

Splints, material for making, felt, pieces. 

Sponge, fine, small pieces oz. 

Tape, cotton, or twilled stay bind- 
ing pieces- 
Thread, linen, unbleached oz. 

Tow lb. 

Towels doz . 

Twine, £ coarse oz. 

Stationery. 

Blank books, cap, half bound, 4 quires, 
no 

Elastic bands, assorted, gross no. 

Envelopes, printed, official 50, letter 

50 no. 

India rubber pieces 

Ink, 2-oz. bottles no. 

Ink, carmine, in 1 oz. bottles no. 

Paper, blotting qrs. 

Paper, writing: cap, 1 quire; letter, 2 

• quires; note, 1 quire qrs. 

Pencils, lead no. 

Penholders no. 



Miscellaneous. 

Corks, velvet, best, assorted doz . 

Lamp- wicks, pieces doz . 

Pill boxes, $ paper, $ turned wood .doz. 
Sheepskins, dressed, for plasters no 



Quantity. 



APPENDIX. 

Invoice of medicines, hospital stores, $-c. — Continued. 



173 



Articles. 



Miscellaneous — Continued. 

Vials: six, 6-oz.; six, 4-oz.; six, 2-oz.; 
six, 1-oz doz 

HT.— Articles not expendable. 
Instruments. 

Field case no 

Pocket case no 

Scissors, large and small no 

Speculum for the rectum no 

Spongeholders, for the throat no 

Stethoscope no 

Stomach pump and tube, in case no 

Syringes, hard rubber, 8-ounce no 

Syringes, hypodermic no 

Syringes, rubber, self- injecting no 

Tongue depressors, hinged no 

Tourniquets, field no 

Urinometers no 

Books. 

Anatomy, Gray's copy . 

Bumstead on Venereal copy . 

Chemistry, Fowne's copy. 

Diagnosis, Da Costa's copy. 

Dispensatory copy. 

Eye, Stelhvag on copy. 

Meteorology, Loomis' copy . 

Midwifery, Cazeaux's copy. 

Physics, Ganot's copy. 

Skin, Diseases of, Tilbury Fox... copy. 

Surgery, Gross' '. copy. 

Therapeutics, Stille's copy. 

Morning report book no . 

Order and letter book no. 

Record of deaths no. 

Register of patients, small, flexible 
covers no . 

Bedding. 

Bed sacks no. 

Blanket s, gray, for the field no. 

Blanket cases, canvas no. 

Gutta-percha bed covers no. 

Pillows, hair no. 

Pillow-cases, white no 

Sheets no. 

Furniture. 

Chairs, rocking no. 

Clocks, wooden, small no. 

Tubs, bath, large no. 



Quantity. 



10 

20 
2 
4 

12 
2 

12 



Articles. 



Miscellaneous. 

Basins, tin, small, for dressers no 

Basins, wash, hand no 

Bed pans, delf, shovel shaped (metal 

for field) no 

Buckets, leather no 

Feeding cups no 

Funnels, tin, pint no 

Lanterns, glass no 

Measures, graduated, glass, 4-oz no 

Measures, graduated, glass, minim. .no 
Measures, tin, gallon to pint, sets . . no 
Medicine measuring glasses, large, .no. 
Medicine panniers, furnished by the 

list, sets no . 

Mortars and pestles, wedgewood, 3^ to 

8 inches no 

Pill tiles, 5 to 10 inches no 

Scales and weights, prescription, one 

set of apothecaries' weights no 

Spatulas, 3-inch and 6-inch no. 

Spirit lamps (brass for field) no. 

Test tubes no 

Urinals, glass no 

Additional Articles. 

Acid, salicylic oz. 

Cosmoline, cerate lbs. 

Iodoform oz . 

Iron, persulphate of, powder oz . 

Pepsin oz. 

Pills, morphia, sulph., J-gr no. 

" quinia, bisulph.,2 " no. 

" " snlph., 2 " no 

Plaster, mustard yds. 

Vaseline, plain lbs. 

Lint, marine lbs. 

Sponge, chloroform no. 

Tubes, drainage yds. 

Tooth extracting case, O. P no. 

Tourniquet, Esmarch's no. 

Color Blindness, Jeffries on cop . 

History, med., of post cop. 

Hygiene, Hammond cop. 

Jurisprudence, Still6 & "Wharton, 1 

vol cop 

Jurisprudence, Stille & "Wharton, 2d 

vol. (2pts.) cop. 

Practice of Med., Watson cop. 

Lamps, side no. 

" stand no 

Mattresses, elastic felt no . 



Quantity. 



1 

1 

1 
2 
4 

12 
4 



40 

4 

1 

4 

2 

300 

500 

500 

3 

3 

10 

1 

3 

1 

1 

1 

1 

1 



I certify that the preceding invoice is correct. 
Station: Medical Purveying Depot, San Francisco, Cal. 
Date: July 9, 1881. 

H. JOHNSON, 
Capt. and Medical Storekeeper, U. S. A. 
A true copy. 
S. G. O., P. D., Feb. 5, 1884. 

J. H. BAXTER. 
Chief Med. Purveyor, U. S. A. 



174 



APPENDIX. 



[Enclosure 2.] 

Invoice of medicines, hospital stores, bedding, j-c, contained in 13 packages, issued to 1st Lt. 
A. TV. G reel y, U. S. Army, commanding Lady Franklin Bay Expedition, by Capt. F. 
(yDonnoghue, Medicine Storekeeper, U. S. A., at New York, May 23, 1881. 



Articles. 



I. — Regular list. 
Medicines. 

Acid, carbolic, pure, crystallized, in 4 
oz. g. 8. bottles oz . 

Acid, citric, in 8 oz. bottles oz . 

Acid, sulphuric, aromatic, in 8 oz. g. s. 
bottles oz . 

Acid, tannic, in 1 oz. bottles oz 

Alcobol. in 32 oz. bottles bott. 

Ammonia, aromatic spirits of, in 4 oz. 
g. s. bottles oz. 

Ammonia, carbonate of, in 8 oz. bot- 
tles oz . 

Ammonia, solution of, in 8 oz. g. s. 
bottles oz. 

Antimony and potassa. tartrate of 
(tartar emetic), in 1 oz. bot oz. 

Arsenite of potassa, solution of (Fow- 
ler's solution) , in 4 oz. bot oz . 

Belladonna, alcoholic extract of, in 1 
oz. w. m. bottles oz. 

Bismuth, subnitrate of, in 2 oz. bot- 
tles oz . 

Camphor, in 8 oz. bottles oz . 

Castor oil, in'32 oz. bottles bott. 

Cerate, blistering, in 8 oz. tins oz. 

Cerate, iesin, in i lb. tins lb. 

Chloral, hydrate of, in 1 oz. g. s. bot- 
tles oz. 

Chloroform, purified, in 8 oz. g. s. bot- 
tles oz. 

Colchicum seed, fluid extract of, in 4 oz. 
bottles oz . 

Colocynth, compound extract of, 
powdered, in 8 oz. bottles oz . 

Copper, sulphate of, in 2 oz. bottles oz. 

Croton oil, in 1 oz. g. s. bottles oz. 

Ergot, fluid extract of, in 4 oz. bot- 
tles ..oz. 

Ether, compound spirits of (Hoffman's 
Anodyne) . in 8 oz. g. s. bot oz . 

Ether, stronger, for anaesthesia, in 1 lb. 
tins oz. 

Ether, spirit of nitrous (sweet spirits 
of nitre), 4n 8 oz. g. s. bot oz. 

Flaxseed meal, in tins lb . 

Ginger, fluid extract of, in 8 oz. bot- 
tles - oz. 

Glycerine, pure, in 8 oz. bottles oz. 

Gum arabic, powdered, in 8 oz. bot- 
tles oz. 

Iodine, in 1 oz. g. s. bottles oz. 

Iron, solution of the sulphate of, in 1 
oz. bottles oz. 

Iron, tincture of the chloride of, in 8 
oz. g. s. bottles oz 

Lead, acetate of. in 8 oz. bottles oz. 

Liquorice, exti'act of, in paper . .oz. 

Liquorice root, powdered, in 8 oz. bot- 
tles . . oz.! 

Magnesia, sulphate of. in 8 lb. tins. lb. 

Mercurial ointment, in 1 lb. pots lb. 

Mercury, corrosive chloride of (cor- 
rosive sublimate), in 1 oz. hot . oz ; 

Mercury, mild chloride of (calomel), in 
2 oz. bottles oz . 

Mercury, pill of (blue mass), in 8 oz. 
pots oz. 

Mercury, red oxide of, in 1 oz. bottles oz . 

Morphia, sulphate of, in £ oz. bottles . oz . 

Opium, camphorated tincture of, in 8 
oz. bottles oz. 

Opium, compound powder of (dover's 
powder), in 8 oz. bottles oz. 



Quantity. 



Articles. 



12 

200 

16 

4 

24 

12 

32 

16 

2 

4 

2 

16 
24 

4 
8 

1 

.32 
64 

8 

8 
4 

1 

4 

8 

32 

24 
16 

8 
32 

16 
4 



16 

8 
32 

8 
8 
2 

1 

2 

8 
1 

6 

24 
8 



Medicines — Continued. 

Opium, powdered, in 8 oz. bottles... oz 

Opium, tincture of (laudanum), in 8 
oz. bottles oz. 

Pepper, cayenne, ground, in 8 oz. bot- 
tles oz . 

Peppermint, spirit of, in 4 oz. bottles. oz. 

Pills, camphor (grains two) and opium 
(grain one), in bottles no. 

Pills, compound cathartic, inbottles.no. 

Pills, opium, in bottles no . 

Podophyllum, resin of, in 1 oz. bot- 
tles oz 

Potassa, bicarbonate 'of, in 8 oz. bot- 
tles oz 

Potassa, bitartrate of, powdered 
(cream of tartar), in 8 oz. bot oz. 

Potassa, chlorate of, powdered, in 8 oz. 
bottles oz 

Potassa, nitrate of, powdered, in 8 oz. 
bottles oz 

Potassa, permanganate of, in 1 oz. bot- 
tles oz 

Potassium, bromide of, in 4 oz. bot- 
tles oz. 

Potassium, iodide of, in 8 oz. bottles oz 

Quinia, sulphate of, in 1 oz. bottles, or 
compressed in tins oz . 

Bochelle salt, powdered, in 8 oz. bot- 
tles oz. 

Seneka, fluid extract of, in 8 oz. bot- 
tles oz 

Silver, nitrate of, in crystals, in 1 oz. g. 
s. bottles oz. 

Silver, nitrate of, fused, in 1 oz. g. 8. 
bottles oz 

Soap, castile, in paper lb . 

Soda, bicarbonate, in 8 oz. bottles .oz. 

Soda, chlorinated solution of, in 1 lb. g. 
s. bottles lb . 

Squill, syrup of . in 1 lb . bottles lb . 

Sulphur, washed, in 8 oz. bottles. ..oz. 

Turpentine, oil of. in 32 oz. bottles. bott. 

Wax. white, in paper oz . 

Zinc, sulphate of, in 1 oz. bottles oz. 



LT — Supplementary list. 

Medicines. 

Aconite root, fluid extract of, in 8 oz. 
bottles oz. 

Calabar bean, extract of, in & oz. bot- 
tles oz. 

Ipecacuanha, fluid extract of, in 8 oz 
bottles oz. 

Soda, sulphite of. exsiccated, in 4-oz. 
bottles oz. 

Hospital Stores. 

Brandy, in 32-oz. bottles bott. 

Candles, sperm or composition, half- 
length, in boxes lb. 

Farina, in tins lb 

Milk, concentrated, in 1-lb. tins lb . 

Nutmegs, in 2-oz. bottles oz . 

Pepper, black, ground, in 4-oz. bottles, 
oz 

Sugar, white, crushed, in boxes or tins, 
lb 



Quantity. 



Tea, black, in tins or original chests. lb. 
Whisky, in 32-oz. bottles bott . 



12 
20 
24 



APPENDIX. 

Invoice of medicines, hospital stores, bedding, Sf-c. — Continued. 



175 



Articles. 



Quantity. 



m.— Articles expendable. 
Instruments. 

Probangs no. 

Syringes, penis, glass no. 

Syringes, penis, rubber no. 

Trusses, single no. 

Dressings. 

Bandages doz 

Bandages, suspensory no. 

Binders' boards, 1\ by 12 inches. pieces. 
Binders' boards, 4 by 17 inches. . pieces . 

Cotton bats no.| 

Cotton -wadding sheets. 

Flannel, red, all wool yds. 

Gutta-percha cloth yds. 

Lint, patent lb . 

Lint, picked lb. 

Muslin, unbleached, unsized, 1 yard 

•wide yds . 

Needles, cotton, thimble, in case... no. 

Oakum, fine, picked lb - 

Oiled muslin, in 2-yard pieces yds. 

Oiled silk, in 2-yard pieces yds. 

Pencils, hair (assorted sizes) in vials, 

. . no 

Pins papers. 

Plaster, adhesive, 5 yards in a can. yds. 
Plaster, isinglass, 1 yard in a case. .yds. 

Silk, gray, for shades yds. 

Silk, ligature oz. 

Splints sets. 

Splints, Smith's anterior no. 

Splints, material for making, felt . pieces . 

Sponge, fine, small pieces oz. 

Tape, cotton, or twilled stay binding, 

pieces 

Thread, linen, unbleached oz. 

Tow ]b. 

Towels doz . 

Twine, \ coarse oz. 

Miscellaneous. 

Corks, velvet, best, assorted doz . 

Pillboxes, f paper, \ turned wood .doz . 
Sheepskins, dressed, for plasters ...no. 
Vials— sis, 6-oz. ; six, 4-oz. ; six, 2-oz. ; 
six, 1-oz doz. 

IV.— Articles not expendable. 

Instruments. 

Cupping-tins, assorted sizes no. 

Field-case no. 

Lancet, thumb no. 

Pockf t-case no. 

Scarificators no. 

Scissors, large and small no. 



6 
24 
12 

4 



32 
4 
12 
12 
2 
4 
6 
3 
4 
2 

10 
1 
5 
4 
5 

12 
3 

10 

10 
1 
1 
2 
2 
2 

10 

3 

1 
10 

9 



16 
8 
1 

4 



12 
1 

4 
1 
2 
2 



Articles. 



Instruments — Continued. 

Speculum for the rectum no 

Spongeholders for the throat no 

Spray apparatus no 

Stethoscope no 

Stomach pump and tube, in case no 

Syringes, hard-rubber, 8-ounce no 

Syringes, hypodermic no 

Syringes, rubber, self-injecting no 

Tooth-extracting case, Army pattern, 

no 

Thermometer, clinical no 

Tongue depressors, hinged no 

Tourniquets, field no 

Tourniqu ets, screw, with pad no . 

Books. 

Anatomy, Gray's copy. 

Dispensatory copy. 

Hygiene, Parke's r . A copy . 

Practice of Medicine, Flint's copy. 

Surgery, Erichsen's copy. 

Surgery, Guthrie's Commentaries . copy . 

Therapeutics, Waring's copy . 

Therapeutics, Mechanical, Wales' .copy. 

Register of Patients, small, flexible 

covers no. 

Bedding. 

Bed sacks no. 

Blankets, gray no. 

Blanket cases, canvas no. 

Gutta-percha bed covers no. 

Pillows, hair no. 

Pillow-cases, white, "linen" no. 

Pillow ticks no. 

Miscellaneous. 

Basins, tin, small, for dressers no . 

Basins, wash hand no 

Feeding cups no. 

Funnels, tin, pint no. 

Graters, nutmeg and large no. 

Measures, graduated, glass, 4 oz .. no. 
Measures, graduated, glass, minim .no. 
Medicine measuring glasses, large .no. 

Pill tiles, 5 to 10 inches no . 

Spatulas, 3-inch and 6-inch no . 

Spirit lamps (brass, for field) no. 

Additional Articles. 

Beef extract, Starr's lbs. 

Balance, in case no . 

Vaseline, plain lbs. 

Mustard plaster yds. 

Acid, salicylic oz 

Esmarch's tourniquet no. 

Cosmoline cerate lb . 



Quantity. 



20 

40 

4 

8 

5 

40 

29 



16 
1 

6 

6 

160 

1 
2 



I certify that the preceding invoice is correct. 



F. O'DONXOGHUE, 

Captain and M. S. K., U. S. A. 



A true copy. 



Medical Purveying Depot, U. S. A., 

New York City, May 23d, 1881. 

J. H. BAXTER, 
Chief Medical Purveyor, U. S. A. 



170 APPENDIX. 



EXHIBIT S. 

Washington, January 28, 1884. 

My Pear Sir: Concerning the stores left at Cape Hawks, I am very positive that 
there vras some meat There. 

I brought off one can myself, and others of the party brought off one or two more. 
We found the meat in good condition. There was about eight casks in all, 120 gal. 
casks, hooped with iron. 

When Lt. Greely was going off in the boat, I heard him say that there would be 
enough of everything for him and his party for two months, in case he had to retreat 
that way. 

When we arrived at Discovery Harbor we found 23 barrels of pork and beef in good 
condition, which I have not seen mentioned in any report. 
Respectfully yours, 

Capt. Geo. W. Davis. J. W. NORMAN. 



EXHIBIT T. 

[Wm. Macnaughtan's Sous, Commission Merchants, 3 Howard St., east of Broadway.] 

New York, 29th Jan., 1884. 

Gent'n : We learn that reindeer can be secured, raw, in Canada East, at §2.00 per 
skin, subject to change. 

We inclose our correspondence with the Hudson's Bay Co., as it will prove of value 
to you. 

Please return theirs to us. Anything this correspondence suggests to you we will 
be pleased to answer. Why would not buffalo robe overcoats prove indispensable in 
your equipment ? They are made cheaply with great skill, and are easily obtainable. 
Resp., 

WM. MACNAUGHTAN'S SONS. 
Capt. Geo. H. Davis, 

Board of Officers, Relief Expedition, Washington, D. C. 



[Enclosure 1.] 
[Wm. Macnaughtan's Sons, Commission Merchants, 3 Howard st., east of Broadway.] 

New York, 11th Jan., 1884. 

Dear Sir : Will you have the kindness to give us full information on the following : 

Do the men at your posts wear reindeer clothing, aod is there a difference between 

reindeer and caribou ? How are they dressed, the usual way, or in oil, and do they 

injure by water? How do the skins average in cutting, and do you use the light or 

heavy haired ! 

Please favor us with an early answer. This with anything further will be much 
appreciated. 

Yours, very resp'v, 

WM. MACNAUGHTAN'S SONS. 
S. K. Parson, Esq., 

Hudson's Bay House, Montreal, Canada. 



[Enclosure 2. J 

Hudson's Bay House, 

Montreal, 14 Jan., 1884. 
Dear Sirs: In reply to yours of the 11th inst. : The men at some of our posts wear 
reindeer clothing, ami. as far as I ever knew, there is no difference between reindeer 
and caribou. The felt side is dressed like moccasin leather, not smoked, and the 
hair is left on the other. They are not dressed in oil, and they get hard if they be- 
come wet. 
I don't know what yon mean by " how do the skins average in cutting." The 



APPENDIX. 177 

light and heavy haired are both used, according to the part of the clothing required 
for. 

In conclusion, I might add that all the deerskin clothing ever used at our posts is 
made by the Esquimaux themselves, and traded from them, and that our men rarely, 
if ever, wear it, except when traveling along the coast ; and further, that any such 
clothing made by white men without proper patterns would, I consider, be utterly 
useless. 

Faithfullv yours, 

S. K. PARSON. 

Messrs. Wai. Macnaughtan's Sons, 

3 Howard Street, New York. 



[Enclosure 3.1 

|TVm. Macnanghtan's Sons, Commission Merchants. 3 Howard st., east of Broadway. | 

New York, 21s* Jan., 1884. 
Dear Sir: Your favor of the 14th is at hand. Please accept our thanks. 
In asking "how the skins average in cutting,' 7 we meant how many skins are gen- 
erally required to make an entire suit, and what does the suit consist of. Every dozen 
suits would consume about how many skins? You speak of their being tanned same 
as moccasins; is that the same as the dressed skin that we express to you to-day, or 
do you re-dress and re-tan such leather, and how f 
Yours, very resp'y, 

WM. MACNAUGHTAN'S SONS. 
S. K. Parson, Esq., 

Hudson's Bay House, Montreal, Canada. 



[Enclosure 4.1 

Hudson's Bay House, 

Montreal, 25 Jan., 1884. 

Dear Sirs: Your parcel containing a dressed skin has just been delivered to me. 
I cannot tell you much about number of skins required to make suits, for, as I before 
mentioned, our people buy them ready-made from the Esquimaux. I should say from 
memory that there are about nine skins in each suit ; the inner shirt or coat being 
made of 4 small skins out of the backs only ; the outside coat and trousers would take 
about 5 large skins. As a rule it is only thu young skins killed in August which are 
of use for clothing. If I had a skin of the kind, I would be glad to send it to you. 
The one you send is, in my opinion, quite useless for clothing, and is far too soft and 
spongy for almost every purpose. 

I feel sure that any attempt to make clothing with the skins you are able to pro- 
cure would prove a failure. 
Faithfully yours, 

S. K. PAESON. 

Messrs. Wm. Macnaughtan's Sons, 

3 Howard St., New York. 



EXHIBIT U. 



Extracts from official reports and other publications, dencripiive of the depots of provisions, 
boats, $c, existing in Baffin Bay, Smith Sound, Kennedy and Bobeson Channels. 

Compiled by order of the Board by Captain Geo. W. Davis, Becorder. 

CAPE YORK. 

"The dingy was a very light shallow cedar l*oat for nse in perfectly smooth 
water and a very light cargo. * * * When I left the shelter of the land at Cape 
York, she was left above high-water mark above that point." (Garliugton to Chief 
Signal Officer, Oct. 20th, 1883. Sig. Service Notes No. X., Washington, D. C, 1883.) 






178 , APPENDIX. 

CARY ISLAND DEPOT. 

•A depot of 3,600 rations were landed [July 27th, 1875] on the S. E. spit of the S. E. 
island, and a record deposited in a conspicuous cairn on the summit." (Nares' Report, 
page 4.) 

July 31*/, 1881. " Sighting the Cary Islands at 3.10 p. m. that day, two parties were 
landed on the S. E. island. * * * With Lieut. Lockwood, I found and examined 
the whale-boat and depot of provisions left by Sir Geo. Nares in 1875, which were 
in good and serviceable condition." (Greely to Chief Signal Officer, Aug. 15, 1881, 
Exhibit M, p. 142.) 

* * * "Copy of record found in cairn on top of S. E., Cary Island, by U. S. S. 
'Yantic,' Aug. 5,' 1883." 

Aug. 1st, 1876. — "I have this day inspected the 'A' depot left on this island by H. 
M. ships 'Alert' and 'Discovery,' and found everything apparently undisturbed and 
in good condition. * * * There were, in all, 31 casks and 12 cases, besides the tins 
of preserved meats, which were not counted." [Signed by Lt. Arbuthnot, R. N., Arctic 
yacht ' Pandora.'] (Capt. Wildes' report to Sec't'y of the Navy, Sept. 17, 1883.) 

* # * "I found everything there fS. E., Cary Island, July 21st, 1883] undisturbed. 
From a careful examination of two bbls. of bread and three cans of meat, I estimated 
that sixty per cent, of the provisions are in good condition, while perhaps seventy- 
live per cent, could be eaten in an emergency. The boat was also in good condition. 

* * * The * * * depot is on the S. E., Cary Island, consisting of at least eighteen 
hundred rations and a whale-boat." (Garlington to Chief Signal Officer, Oct. 2, 
1883. Sig. Service Notes No. X, Washington, D. C, 1883.) 

CAPE ISABELLA. 

July 20th. — "As the weather was so thick that no one on the ships, except those em- 
ployed in establishing the cairn and small depot of provisions, could see its position 
[Cape Isabella], and there being, therefore, no reason for delaying the 'Discovery,' 
Capt. Stephenson proceeded. The cairn was built on the summit of the outer east- 
ernmost spur of the cape, at an elevation of about 700 feet above the water." (Nares' 
Report, p. 4.) 

* * * "A cairn was erected on the outer spur of Cape Isabella, 700 feet above 
the water-line ; a cask for letters and a few cases of preserved meat being hidden away 
on a lower point, about 300 feet high, magnetic west of the cairn." (Nares 1 Narrative, 
vol. 1, p. 57.) 

"At a less high elevation, in a secure niche amongst the rocks, were deposited an 
empty cask and about one hundred and fifty pounds of preserved meat." (Mark- 
ham's Frozen Sea, p. 54.) 

"Lieutenant Becker, however, on looking * * * behind some rocks about 20 
yards off [Aug. 6, 1876] * * * discovered four wooden cases which lay in a crevice. 

* * * These I at once examined and found under them a cask which he suggested 
might contain the letters from the expedition [Nares']. But as the cases were marked 
'New Zealand preserved meat,' and as I did not think it likely that the letters would 
be deposited in such an obscure place without some record being left at the cairn to 
say they were there, I concluded it to be a depot of provisions." (Report Lt. Arbuth- 
not, Sept. 25, 1>76, to Capt. Allen Young, commd'g " Pandora," Nares' Report, p. 476.) 

"A cask of letters, &c, has been placed with the depot of provisions." (Extract 
from record dated Aug. 6, 1876, left by Lieut. Arbuthnot of the "Pandora" on Cape 
Isabella, Nares' Rep., p. 478.) "On landing [Sept. 9th, 1876] a small mail of letters 
and newspapers which had been left by the 'Pandora' was found at the depot." 
(Nares' Report, p. 37.) 

Sept. Ath. — " As a last resort the remaining whale boat was placed on Cape Isabella 
and its location marked by a tripod showing well to the northward." (Beebe's Re- 
port to Chief Signal Officer, Sept. 28th, 1882. Sig. Service Notes No. V, Washington, 
D.C., 1883.) 

LITTLETON ISLAND. 

Aug. 2nd. — " Lieutenant Lockwood with party landed about 6-J- tons of coal as a depot 
of fuel for possible future use. It is in and around a large cask on low* ground on the 
southwest side ot the island facing Cape Alexander." (Greely to Chief Signal Offi- 
cer, dated Aug. 15, 1881, p. 142. Exhibit M.) 

Aug. 3d, 1882. — * * * " The stores were landed in a cove in the north end of the 
island, so well concealed as to be invisible from any point a few ydrds distant and 
covered with a 'paulin securely anchored down with rocks, aud copies of a record with 
minute directions for finding the stores placed as directed in Lieut. Greely's letter of 
last year — two in the the coal on the southern end of the island and one in Nares' 



APPENDIX. 179 

cairn on the summit of the S. W. part of the island." (Beebe to Chief Signal Officer, 
Sept. 28, 1882. Sig. Service Notes No. V, Washington, D. C, 1883.) 

[The articles composing this cache were those indicated in Lt. Greely's letter to 
Chief Signal Officer, Aug. 17th, 1881. See Exhibit M, p. 141.— Recorder.] 

CAPE SABINE. 

July 29th. — "A depot of 240 rations was established on the southernmost of the 
islets [at Payer Harbor] in a convenient position for traveling parties — a cairn being 
built on the summit of the highest and outer one, and a notice of our movements 
deposited here." (Nares' Report, p. 5.) 

Aug. Iftth, 1882. — * * * "On a long, low island near to and due west (true) 
from Brevoort Island was found a small depot of provision left by the ' Discovery ' 
* * *. The depot consisted of one barrel of canned beef; two tins — forty pounds 
each — bacon ; one barrel — one hundred pounds — dog biscuit ; two barrels — one hun- 
dred and twenty rations each — biscuit, all in good condition ; two hundred and forty 
rations — consisting of chocolate and sugar, tea and sugar, potatoes, wicks, tobacco, 
salt, stearine, onion-powder, and matches, all in fairly good condition. Three small 
casks that had contained rum and high wines were separated from the other packages, 
broken, and their contents evaporated or leaked out * * *. The cache was re- 
built, and made as secure as possible, marked by two oars found with the depot- 
placed upright in the rocks, and a record of the ' Neptune' placed in the cache. A 
description of this depot and its position was afterwards left with the depot estab- 
lished on Cape Sabine." (Beebe to Chief Signal Officer, Sept. 28, 1882. Sig. Service 
Notes No. V, Washington, D. C, 1883.) 

* * * "On the morning of the 31st [August.] succeeded in effecting a landing 
and establishing a cache upon Cape Sabine, the northernmost land that had been at- 
tainable by us. The stores and whale-boat were placed in a sheltered spot, well 
secured and covered by a tarpaulin. A tripod made of scantling with an oar attached, 
to which pieces of canvas were well nailed, were placed upon a prominent point, show- 
ing well from the northward and securely anchored with rocks, and in a cairn beneath 
was placed a record giving the bearing of the cache." (Beebe to Chief Signal Officer, 
Sept. 28, 1882. Sig. Service Notes No. V, Washington, D. C, 1883.) 

[The articles composing this cache were those indicated in Lieut. Greely's letter to 
to Chief Signal Officer under date of August 17, 18»1. See Exhibit M, p. 141. — 
Recorder.] 

July 24th, 1883. — "Lt. Colwell succeeded iu making land, and in caching the pro- 
visions about three miles west o&Cape Sabine. They were secured as well as circum- 
stances permitted, and covered with a tent- fly. This cache consisted of hard bread, 
tea, bacon, canned goods, tobacco, and sleeping-bags, estimated at five hundred 
rations. This cache was not disturbed again. * * * * * a large quantity of 
clothing, consisting of buffalo overcoats, fur caps and gloves, Arctic overshoes, un iform 
clothing, and underclothing, &c, was cached on Cape Sabine. Two sidereal chro- 
nometers were placed in the cache." (Garlington to Chief Signal Officer, Oct. 2, 1883. 
Sig. Service Notes No. X, Washington, D. C, 1883.) 

* * * <<j proceeded to gather together all the stores I could spare and reclaim 
from the bags of the crew of the 'Proteus' and make a cache of them on the rocks in 
Payer Harbor under Cape Sabine. The cache made there contained clothing — blouses, 
trousers, flannel shirts, socks, stockings, mitts, buffalo overcoats, fur caps, flannel 
drawers, undershirts, woolen and rubber blankets ; all wrapped in rubber blankets, 
covered with a tent-fly and weighted down with rocks. The supply of clothing is 
sufficienr for twenty-five men for six months. Near this cache is a new top-sail and 
two boats [bolts] of new canvass left by Captain Pike ; a sufficient supply to furnish 
shelter for a large number of men. 

"In a cove about three miles west of Cape Sabine a cache of provisions was made. 
This cache contained fifteen sleeping-bags, six hundred pounds of hard bread (three 
barrels and two painted canvas bags), an unknown quantity of bacon, abont seven 
hundred pounds of canned meats, vegetables, and fruits, a bos of tea (forty pounds), a 
box of gunpowder, a can of matches, a tin pot, and a quantity of clothing, all secured as 
well as possible in a crevice of the rocks, covered with two tent-flies, and the whole 
weighted down with stones. In a conspicuous cairn on the top of Brevoort Island, 
built by the Nares expedition, I deposited a notice of the loss of the 'Proteus,' a 
definite description of the locality of the caches of (dot bin gaud the provisions, * * * 
The record of the late Mr. W. M. Heche is in the same cairn. 1 did not disturb the 
cache left by the expedition of Mr. Beebe of last year further than to see if the stores 
were in good order and the beat serviceable. The depot of the English expeditionon 
the small island south of Paver Harbor was not disturbed." (Garlington to Chief 
Signal Officer Oct. 20, 1883. Sig. Service Notes No. X, Washington, D.C., 1883.) 

"A depot was landed from the floe at a point about three miles from the point of 
Cape Sabine, as you turn into Buchanan Strait. There were live hundred rations of 
bread, sleeping-bags, tea, and a lot of canned goods; no time to classify. This cache 



i 




Fold-out 
Placeholder 



out is being digitized, and will be inserted at 
future date. 



180 APPENDIX. 

is about thirty feet from the water line, ami twelve feet above it on the west side of 
a little cove under a steep el iff. Rapidly-elosing iee prevented its being marked by 
a flag-Staff or otherwise: have not ueen able to land there since. A cache of two 
hundred and titty rations in same vicinity, left by the expedition of 1881, visited by 
me and found in good condition, except boat broken by bears. There is a cache of 
clothing on point of Cape Sabine opposite Brevoort Island, in the 'jamb' of the 
rock, and covered with rubber blankets. The English depot on the small island near 
Brevoort Island in damaged condition, not visited by me. There is a cache of two 
hundred and titty rations on the northern point of Littleton Island and a boat at Cape 
Isabella." (Extract from Garlington's record left at Cape Sabine, July 24, 1883. Sig. 
Service Notes No. X, Washington D. C, 1863.) 

" Five hundred pounds of hard bread, sleeping-bags, and assorted subsistence stores 
were lauded from the floe about three miles from Cape Sabine around point towards 
Bache Islaud. There is also a cache made last year along same shore. The depot was 
secured as well as possible. * * * A quantity of clothing was left on extreme 
point of Cape Sabine, and one barrel of beef, all poorly secured." (Extract from Gar- 
lington's record left at Littleton Island July 26, 1883. Sig. Service Notes No. X, 
Washington, D. C, 1883.) 

" I estimated the number of rations put by Lient. Colwell on that first boat as 
500 rations; he thinks there were 650 rations." (Garlington's response to a ques- 
tion by the Board, January 2nd, 1884, page 42. J 

" Q. I think you left some provisions at Cape Sabine. At what altitude above high 
water were those provisions placed, as you remember? — A. About ten or fifteen feet, 
and behind a corner of rocks which would protect them from the ice banking up. 

" Q. You feel tkar they are perfectly secure from any danger from ice ? — A. Yes ; the 
only trouble would be from water running down the side of the cliff and getting un- _ 
derthem, or a snow-slide might cover them up. When we left there was no snow nor 
any water coming into the hollow where I placed rhem. 

11 Q. Were they in a position where they might be destroyed by a slide of snow from 
above, or pushed out on the ice ? — A. The cliff was almost perpendicular where I 
placed them, in a little crevice, and the chances are that a slide of snow would not 
come down in that crevice, but would go over it or pass around to one side. They 
are about thirty feet distant from the edge of the wajber." (Extract from testimony 
of Lieut. Col well, before the Board, January 4, 1684, p, 69. ) 

CAPE HAWKS. 

Aug. 12th, 1875. — "A large depot of 3,600 rations of provisions was landed on the 
southern side of Cape Schott, and a notice of our progress deposited in a cairn on the 
summit of Washington Irving Island." (Nares' Report, p. 5.) 

Sept. 1st, 1876. — " On the 1st of September we crossed Dobbin Bay, and succeeded in 
securing the ships to an iceberg, aground only a quarter of a mile from the depot of 
provisions left by us the previous spring a few miles north of Cape Hawks. * * By 
working in the cracks opened by the ebb tide some of the provisions were embarked ; 
but there is still a boat and a large quantity of biscuit left on shore there." (Nares* 
Report, p. 34.) 

Sept. 1st, 1876. — * * * "And as some of our provisions were getting low, on pass- 
ing the large depot established in Dobbin Bay, on our way up, the previous year, we 
landed and brought off all the tea, sugar, and chocolate, and such other articles as we 
were likely to require." (Markham's "Frozen Sea," p. 398.) 

* * * "But a boat and some biscuit still remain. If visited during the summer 
these will be found on the northern shore of a small bay a mile and a half distant 
from Cape Hawks, and about a quarter of a mile from the east point of the bay. Dur- 
ing the winter, when covered by snow, it would be very difficult for a stranger to find 
the localitv, unless, indeed, the pole marking it remains up." (Nares' Narrative, vol. 
II. , p. 160.') 

Aug. 3d, 1881. — " With Lt. Kislingbury, Mr. Clay, and a number of the men, I pro- 
ceeded to the main shore and examined the English depot of 1«75. The jolly boat 
was found in good condition, and being short of boats it was taken by me. * * * 
There was a large quantity of bread (some mouldy), two kegs of pickles, two partly 
full of rum, two barrels stearine, and a barrel ot' preserved potatoes. A keg of pica- 
Ulli (1 having none in my stores), one of the kegs of rum were taken, and three cans 
potatoes to test them and the method of cooking them. The remaining stores were 
placed by my partv in a better condition to resist the weather." (Greelv to Chief 
Signal Officer, Aug. 15, 1881, Exhibit M,p.l43.) 

[Lieut. Greely in his letter to Chief Signal Officer, dated Aug. 17, 1881 (see Ex- 
hibit M, p. 145), refers to the Cape Hawks depot as containing "two months' sup- 
plies."' — Recorder.] 

"Concerning the stores left at Cape Hawks, I am very positive that there was some 
meat there. I brought off one can myself and others of the party brought off one or 



APPENDIX. 181 

two more. We found the meat in good condition. There was altout eight casks in 
all — 120 gallon casks hooped with iron. "When Lt. Greely was going off in the boat 
I heard hiin say that there would be enough of everything for him and his party for 
two months in case he had to retreat that way." (J. W. Norman to Recorder of Board, 
Jan'y 28, 1884 ; Exhibit S, p. 176.) 

CAPE COLLINSON. 

Aug. 20th, 1875. — "A depot of provisions was landed at Cape Collinson for our future 
travelers bound to the southward along the coast." (Nares' Report, p. 10.) 

"A small depot of 240 rations was landed on Cape Collinson, about 100 yards in- 
shore and 30 feet above the water line. These provisions have not since been dis- 
turbed. During the winter they will be deeply buried in snow, and probably the 
mark piled over them will have broken down." (Nares' Narrative, vol. I, p. 102.) 

Aug. 3d, 1881. — ''Abreast of Cape Collinson, where 240 rations are cached, but which 
I dared not visit fearing denser fog." (Greely to Chief Signal Officer, Aug. 15, 1881, 
Exhibited M, p. 143.) 

CARL RITTER BAY. 

Aug. 4th, 1881. — "At 2 p. m. the ship stopped in the N. E. end of Carl Ritter Bay, 
where I had decided to place a small depot of provisions in case of a retreat south- 
ward in 1883. About 225 bread and meat rations were landed by a party under my- 
self which Lt. Kislingbury and Doctor Pavy accompanied. The depot was made on 
the first bench from the sea, just north of a little creek in the extreme N. E. part of 
the bay." (Greely to Chief Signal Officer, Aug. 15, 1881, Exhibit M, p. 143.) 

CAPE MORTON. 

Aug. 23d, 1875. — " The 'Discovery' then landed a depot of 240 rations at Cape Mor- 
ton for use of any traveling party exploring Petermann Fiord." (Nares' Report, p. 10.) 

"On 2nd June [1876] I [Lieut. Fuifoid, H. M. ship 'Discovery'] visited the depot 
at Cape Morton, and found it to be in good condition; one bag of dog biscuit had 
been moved about ten yards from the depot, but no tracks were to be seen." (Nares' 
Report, p. 433.; 

POLARIS BAY. 

[A large depot of provisions, tools, and other supplies was abandoned by the "Polaris" 
at Thank-God Harbor, on the 12th of August, 1872." — Recorder.] 

" It has been reported by Sir George Nares, the commander of the expedition [1875-'6], 
that, in regard to the provisions deposited at Polaris Bay by the United States Polar 
Expedition, the whole of the provisions were used by the sledge parties from H. M. 
ships, 'Alert . ' and 'Discovery/ and that the depot no longer exists." (Sir Edward 
Thornton to Secretary of State, April 26th, 1877 ; see Exhibit H, p. 121.) 

" Tuesday, 8th August. * * * I wish we could take the 20-ft. ice-boat, but she 
is too heavy. * * . * Closed the house ; secured everything and started at 10 p. m. 
in the 15-ft. ice-boat." (Lieut. Beaumont's journal, p. 392, Nares' Report.) 

CAPE SUMNER— NEWMAN BAY. 

" Two crews left their boats; one a whale-boat, twenty-four feet long, and the other 
the ' Heggleman' canvas boat, on Cape Sumner [about 1-J miles east of Cape Sumner, 
near mouth of small ravine] at the southern entrance of Newman Bay, in lat. 81° 51' 
N. * * * No list was made of the articles secured with the boats" [a fewcases 
of preserved meat and a little bread; about 500 cartridges, one shot-gun, two rifles, 
one box-chronometer, two sextants]. (R. W. B. Bryan to Navy Department Jan'y 9, 
1875, p. 667, Narrative North Polar Expedition U. S. ship "Polaris.") 

"The whale-boat is 26 feet long, 5 feet beam, and 3^ feet deep, double planked, one 
plank stove on bluff of starboard bow, about 7 inches ; easily repairable and otherwise 
in a servicable condition." (Stevenson to Nares, May 22, 1876, Nares' Report, p. 57.) 

" The whale-boat lay bottom upwards on a flat piece of land about 100 yards from 
the beach, lashed down to heavy stones and frozen in by mud, while the canvas boat 
was with difficulty discovered buried in snow and lying about 80 yards from the whale 
boat and 200 from the tent. The whale-boat was stove in on the starboar d bow, for 
which defect the materials necessary for repair were at hand, and was in other re- 
spects a good, serviceable boat." (Doctor Coppinger to Capt. Nares, Sept. 12, 1876, 
Nares' Report, p. 422.) 

"Finding beneath her six 14-foot oars marked 'canvas boat,' we take and secure 
them alongside the whale-boat, so that the latter, at all events, may be thoroughly 
serviceable when wanted." (Nares' Report, p. 428.) 



182 APPENDIX. 

DISCOVERY HARBOR. 

" When we arrived at Discovery Harbor we found 23 barrels of pork and. beef in 
good condition, which I have not seen mentioned in any report." (J. W. Norman to 
Recorder, Jan'y 28, L884, Exhibit S, p. 176.) 

LINCOLN BAY. 

Aug. '30th, 1S75. — * * * " the opportunity was taken to land a depot of provisions 
for travellers, consisting of 1,000 rations. The depot was placed about thirty feet 
above the sea, on a hillside fronting the first dip in the coast hills from the extreme 
point of the bay. The cairn, which can be seen from the ice a mile from land, was 
built a few yards inshore of where these provisions were deposited. This depot was 
not subsequently disturbed by us, and no doubt still remains intact." (Nares' Narra- 
tive, Vol. I, p. 122.) IVidt Markham's "Frozen Sea," p. 135. — Recorder.] 

[Note. — In 1875 a depot of 2,000 rations was lauded by Capt. Nares, from the "Alert," 
at Floe-Berg Beach, but all these stores were subsequently embarked. ( Fide " Mark- 
ham's Frozen Sea," p. 383.) Other minor depots were established, by sledging parties 
from the "Alert," at Pt. Richardson, View Point, near Cape Joseph Henry, and at Cape 
Chalon. But it cannot be learned from the report of Nares, nor from his {l Narrative," 
or Markham's " Frozen Sea," that any of these stores now remain. — Recorder.] 



EXHIBIT V. 

Koom. Board of Officers considering relief expedition to Lieut. Greely and party at Lady Franklin Bay.] 

Washington, D. C, January 5, 1884. 
Sir: The Board of Officers created by Executive Order dated December 17, 1883> 
now considering a plan of relief of the Lady Franklin Bay Expedition, are de- 
sirous of securing from persons having personal knowledge of the navigation of the 
waters leading to Lady Franklin Bay an expression of opinion regarding the organi- 
zation and conduct of the relieving force. Very extensive knowledge of the region in 
question and the adjacent waters was acquired by the officers serving with the 
English expedition of 1875-6, commanded by Captain Sir Geo. S. Nares ; and the 
Board to which, by order of the President, has been intrusted the preparation of a 
plan of rescue, would be glad to have the benefit of suggestions relative to the subject 
under consideration from Captain Sir Geo. S. Nares, Captain H. F. Stephenson, Captain 
Albert H. Markham, all of the Royal Navy ; and to this end, on behalf of the Board, I 
have the honor to request that the proper steps be taken to acquaint the gentlemen 
referred to of the desire which has been expressed of profiting by the suggestions of 
these officers. 

As the Board desires to complete its labors at an early day, it would be highly de- 
sirable that the request for the information referred to be communicated by cable. 
Very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

W. B. HAZEN, 
Brig, and Bvt. Maj. Gen'l, Chief Signal Officer, U. S. A., 

President of the Board. 
The Hon. Secretary of the Navy. 

Same to the H«n. Secretary of War. 

Navy Department, 
Bureau of Navigation and Office of Detail, 

Washington, 16 February, 1884. 
Sir: By direction of the Secretary of the Navy, I have the honor to transmit here- 
with a copy of a letter from Captain Sir George Nares, R. N., to our minister at Lon- 
don, too-ether with a copy of a letter transmitting to the latter suggestions from that 
officer, Captain Markham, R. N., and Major Feilden, H. B. M. A., addressed to the 
President of the Greely Relief Board. 

Very respectfullv, your obed't serv't, 

•^ ^ J. G. WALKER, 

Chief of Bureau. 
Bvt. Major-General Wm. B. Hazen, U. S. A., 

Pres'd't of Board of Officers considering the relief of Lieut. Greely and party. 



APPENDIX. 183 

[Enclosure 1.1 

London, 10th January, 1884. 

Your Excellency : I hasten to reply to your note of yesterday, inviting me on 
behalf of the Government of the United States to make such suggestions as may 
occur to me for the conduct of the party to be sent out for the relief of the Lady 
Franklin Bay Expedition under Lieutenant Greely, U. S. A. 

Any suggestions regarding the conduct of an Arctic relief party must necessarily 
depend on the nature of the expedition itself. I, therefore, as a preliminary note, send 
you the folloAving remarks. 

An Arctic relief expedition should be self-supporting — it should consist of two ves- 
sels — one to act as a depot for the retreat of the search party in case of accident to 
their vessel, to be stationed at the most advanced position that can be reached from 
the South with certainty each summer — the other vessel should be pushed forward to 
the station to be relieved. 

If the depot ship is not to be communicated with the following summer she should 
be prepared to pass two winters at her station. If she is to be communicated with 
(which entails sending out a third vessel early in the following season), stores and 
provisions for one year will be sufficient. 

The advance vessel should in any case be prepared to pass two winters — otherwise 
(supposing her to be provisioned only for one) the commander's orders must allow for 
his abandoning his vessel for the safety of his own crew the first spring, at the very 
period when, if the relief had not been effected previously, he should be engaged in 
searching for those he was sent out to succour. 

The present season is, I am afraid, already too far advanced for the purchase of 
ordinary ice vessels at a reasonable price, for the owners of those vessels have by 
this time made their arrangements for the coming fishing season — there is, therefore, 
no option except to purchase whaling vessels at an enhanced price to allow for a 
prospective voyage — to build new vessels — or to obtain the services of the two ves- 
sels named below. 

It happens that H. M. S. "Alert," which is doubled and strengthened for ice naviga- 
tion, has recently returned from foreign service, and I have little doubt but that the 
Admiralty would willingly dispose of her. Although perhaps not well adapted for 
ordinary naval service, she would form an admirable Arctic depdt vessel, and would 
not require much expenditure to fit her for Arctic service. 

As an advance vessel it would be worth while to inspect the yacht "Pandora," late 
H. M. S. ' ' Newport " — I understand that she is for sale ; but whether she has sufficient 
accommodation and stowage room to carry two years' provisions for her own crew and 
one year's for the men composing Lieutenant Greely's party is uncertain ; the fact, 
however, can be readily obtained. 

On hearing from you further particulars regarding the nature of the relief expedi- 
tion, whether it is to be composed of two wintering vessels, as I advise, or only one — 
I will send you suggestions for the conduct of the party. 
I am, &c, 

G. S. NARES. 

His Excellency J. R. Lowell. 

[Enclosure 2. J 

London, 1st February, 1884. 
Sir : In preparing the accompanying report, as requested by you, embodying sugges- 
tions for the conduct of the expedition to be sent out for the relief of the Lady Frank- 
lin Bay Expedition by the United States Government, I have deemed it advisable to 
obtain the views of Major H. W. Feilden, H. M. Army, who served under my command 
in the British Expedition of 1875-76, to Smith Sound and Grinnell Laud, as naturalist 
on board H. M. S. "Alert," and whose acquaintance with the natural resources of the 
district is perhaps more extended than that of any other person. 

I have also conferred with Captain Albert H. Markham, R.N., whom you invited 
to report on the same subject, and, thinking that it will be more valuable than send- 
ing in separate reports, I have, with the concurrence of that officer, embodied our 
joint views in the accompanying statement. 
I have the honor to be, &c, 

G. S. NARES, 

Captain, E.N. 
His Excellency James Russell Lowell. 



184 APPENDIX. 

[Enclosure 3.] 



London, 1st February, 1884. 



To the President of the Board for the relief of the Lady Franklin Bay Greely Expedition, 

Washington : 

Sir : In response to the invitation transmitted to ns by His Excellency the Minister 
of the United States in Loudon, we have the honor to submit for consideration the 
following suggestions which may prove useful in drawing up the instructions for the 
guidance of those entrusted with the conduct of the expedition about to be despatched 
for the relief of Lieutenant Greely and his party. 

To ensure success, the expedition must, in our opinion, be thoroughly and efficiently 
equipped, competently commanded, and, above all, be under the direct auspices and 
supervision of the Government. 

We would strongly deprecate the despatch of an expedition that was to combine 
any other object, such as whaling, with that of the primary undertaking. 

In the hrst place, we are very strongly of opinion that the main relief party should 
consist of two ships ; one of these should be engaged in advance, in the actual search, 
proceeding, if necessary, as far north as Discovery Bay; whilst the other should be 
used as a dep6t ship, placed in such a convenient position that, in case of accident to 
the advance ship, there would be no necessity for her crew to retreat to the Danish 
settlements in Greenland. 

In such an eventuality the officers and men of the ship destroyed would merely have 
to fall back upon their consort, from which sledging expeditions would be despatched 
in quest of Lieutenant Greely and his party. 

Both these ships should be fully equipped, for ice-navigation ; should, of course, be 
steamers, but possess sail power as an auxiliary. 

They should be provisioned for at least two years, and should be provided with 
complete sledging equipments, which should certainly include pemmican and other 
provisions generally used by sledging parties. 

Too much care cannot be taken in the selection of provisions of a suitable nature, 
but the experiences derived, in connection with this matter, from recent American 
Arctic expeditions can leave little to be desired. It appears to us that the possibility 
of adding frozen meat to the general stock of provisions should not be overlooked. 

We think there is a great probability that Lieutenant Greely's party has already 
left Discovery Bay. Adopting this view, one of the ships should, we think, be des- 
patched as early as the 1st of May, 1884, certainly not later, with orders to proceed to 
Godhaven, in Greenland, and to push on as early as possible to Upernavik, so as to meet 
Lieutenant Greely should he have succeeded in finding his way south to any of the 
Danish settlements. 

If he has not done so, it is quite possible that he may have passed the winter some- 
where between Cape York and Life-Boat Cove. It is therefore very desirable that 
this region should be searched early in the season. 

There are two ways of carrying out this duty : either by sending a special Govern- 
ment vessel independent of the main relief expedition, or by inviting the co-operation 
of the whaling vessels. The latter should in any case be requested to keep a good 
lookout for the party journeying south in boats. However, should one of the whal- 
ing vessels meet th m the captain would, by returning with them to the south, neces- 
sarily have to give up his chance of making a successful fishing voyage. It is, there- 
fore, worthy of consideration whether the vessel that communicates with the Greenland 
settlements early in the season should not be ordered to proceed to the northward 
through Melville Bay, with the whaling vessels, at the first breaking up of the ice. 
If Lieutenant Greely's party is not fallen in with near Cape York, it would then be 
the duty of the commander of the vessel to diligently search the Cary Islands and 
the coast line to the northward, prior to the arrival of the main relief party ; every 
endeavor being made to communicate with the Eskimos of those regions, who will be 
sure to have tidings of the absent party, should they have been in the vicinity. 

The two main relief vessels should time their arrival at Upernavik about the first 
week of July, and iu the event of no tidings of Lieutenant Greely's safety being forth- 
coming at the Danish settlements they should proceed to the northward in company. 

Failing, intelligence of the party having been obtained on the Greenland coast north 
of Cape York, including Littleton Island, Cape Isabella should be visited, and the 
cairn on the summit of that headland examined. 

Supposing that no tidings or traces of the missing party are forthcoming at the 
entrance to Smith Sound, it will then devolve on the commanding officer of the relief 
expedition to organize further plans for prosecuting his search through Kennedy 
Channel, even, if necessary, to Discovery Bay. 

In such an event it appears to us esseutial to consider the course of action that 
would probably have been pursued by Lieutenant Greely up to the present date. 

What Lieutenant Greely's views were in August, 1881, may be gathered in some 



APPENDIX. 185 

measure from his letter to the Chief Signal Officer, U. S. A., dated Fort Conger, August 
17, 1881,* which was brought hack to the United States by the S. S. "Neptune"" 
["Proteus"], after her successful voyage with the members of the international ex- 
pedition to Discovery Bay in the autumn of 1881. 

Lieutenant Greely, in that communication, appears to have fully recognized the con- 
tingency that the relief ship of 1832 might not be able to reach Discovery Bay; but it 
does not quite appear that he realized the possibility of the ship not making good her 
passage to some point on the east coast of Grinnell Land (west side of Kenned y Chan- 
nel), where at some prominent point he recommended a depot t should be landed. 

He further requested that a similar depot to No. A might be placed on Littleton- 
Island, and a boat at Cape Prescott, to enable his party to retreat across the water- 
way between that point and Bache Island, and thence to Cape Sabine. 

He evidently contemplated that under every circumstance "Depot No. A" would 
be placed in the autumn of 1882 at least as far north on the shores of Grinnell Land 
as Cape Hawks. 

His views as to the relief to be afforded in 1883 are thus expressed in the above- 
quoted communication : 

" If the party does not reach here (Discovery Bay) in 1882, there should be sent, ia 
1883, a capable, energetic officer, with ten (10) men, eight of whom should have had 
practical sea experience, provided with three whale-boats, and ample provisions for 
forty (40) persons for fifteen months. In case the vessel was obliged to turn south- 
ward (she should not leave Smith Sound, near Cape Sabine, before September loth), 
it should leave duplicates of depots A and B, of 1882, at two different points, one of" 
which should be between Cape Sabine and Bache Island, the other to be an interme- 
diate depot, between two depots already established. Similar rules as to indicatino- 
locality should be insisted on. Thus, the Grinnell Land coast would be covered with 
seven depots of ten days' provisions, in less than three hundred miles, not including 
the two months' supplies at Cape Hawks. 

"The party should then proceed to establish a winter station at Polaris Winter 
Quarters, Life-Boat Cove, where their main duty would be to keep their telescopes or& 
Cape Sabine and the land to the northward. 

"Being furnished with dogs, sledges, and a native driver, a party of at least six 
men should proceed, when practicable, to Cape Sabine, whence a sledge party north- 
ward, of the two best fitted men, should reach Cape Hawks, if not Cape Collinson." 

It is clear, therefore, that whenever Lieutenant Greely decided to retreat from Dis- 
covery Bay his plans would be based on the supposition that Depot No. A of 1882: 
had been placed at or to the northward of Cape Hawks ; that a large supply of stores; 
would have been cached at or near Cape Sabine, and that a relief party would winter 
at Life-Boat Cove in the winter of 1883-'84 even if the relief ship had turned south in 
the autumn of 1883. 

The results of the relief expeditions of 1882 and 1883 may be briefly summarized as 
follows : 

On the 10th August, 1882, the steamer "Neptune," with a relief party and stores 
on board, reached her most northern j)oint in Smith Sound, latitude 79° 20', being- 
twelve miles from Cape Hawks and seventeen from Cape Prescott, but was there 
stopped by the ice. The record i of the voyage shows that from the above date to- 
the 28th of August, 1882, repeated but unsuccessful attempts were made to reach 
Cape Hawks. On the morning of the 31st August a landing was effected on Cape- 
Sabiue, western side of Smith Souud, and there stores and a whale-boat were placed 
(presumably Depot A), but no distinct mention is made as to the amount of provisions- 
left. On the 3d September, 1882, Mr. W. M. Beebe succeeded in landing stores on 
Littleton Island (presumably Depot B), and the "Neptune" then turned homeward. 

In 1883 the steamer "Proteus," carrying Lieutenant Garlington, U. S. A., relief 
party and stores, rounded Cape Alexander at the eastern entrance of Smith Sound 
on the 22nd July, and entered Pandora Harbour ; that same afternoon Smith Sound 
was crossed to the western side and a landing made at Payer Harbour, in the vicinity 
of Cape Sabine. Lieutenant Garlington satisfied himself that the stores left there 
from the "Proteus" ["Neptune"] in 1882 were in good order, though the whale-boat 
had been slightly damaged by bears. At 8 p.m., on the evening of the 22ud July, 
the " Proteus" was again underway and attempted to force a passage to Cape Hawks p 
she was, however, caught in the ice-pack, crushed, and sunk early on the morning: 
of the 23rd July, 1883, between Cape Sabine and Cape Albert. 

Lieutenant Garlington, assisted by Lieutenant Colwell, U. S. N., succeeded in sav- 
ing some stores from the "Proteus," out of which some 500 rations were cached by 
those officers about three miles west of Cape Sabine. ■ 

The relief party and crew of the "Proteus" then crossed the sound to Littleton 
Island, which they reached on the 25th July. From there they started southward in 

* Sig. Ser. Notes, Xo. X, pp. 22, 23, Washington, 1883. 

t For contents of this depot (A) vide Sig. Ser. Notes, No. X, p. 22, Washington, 1883. 

; Sig. Ser. Notes, No. V, Washington. 1883. 

13 



186 APPENDIX. 

their boats for the Danish settlements in Greenland, reaching Upernavik on the 24th 
.August, 1883, after a most fortunate boat-voyage, entailing, however, great exposure 
and suffering on the party. 

There has been, therefore, no dep6t of provisions, stores, or boat established any- 
-where north of Cape Sabine since Lieutenant Greely's party arrived at Discovery Bay 
in 1881 ; so, whilst retreating along the east coast of Grinnell Land to Smith Sound, 
their only means of subsistence, until reaching Cape Sabine, would be the supplies 
^brought away with them from Fort Conger, the animals procurable on the journey, 
and the dep6ts left behind by the British Expedition of 1875-76. 

When, in the autumn of 1882, the party at Discovery Bay realized that relief had 
bailed to reach them that year, Lieutenant Greely would at once husband his remain- 
ing stock of provisions. Discovery Bay being a peculiarly favorable position for pro- 
curing musk oxen, he in all probability, eked out his subsistence with a considerable 
•supply of meat. Consequently, if he decided to start southward from that station in 
.July, 1883, as we think he would, and run the risk of passing the relief ship on her 
way north, it may reasonably be hoped that the party had with them a large supply 
<of food, dependent of course on the capacity of the boats at their disposal. 

The iirst difficulty would be to cross Lady Franklin Sound, 10 miles wide, but, with 
provisions advanced in the spring of 1883, this part of the journey would probably 
he accomplished before the first week of August. By that time Kennedy Channel 
would be comparatively free of ice, and few troubles need be expected while proceed- 
ing south along the shore of Judge Daly Promontory. In latitude 80° 5' N. the British 
-expedition left a cache of 240 rations, sufficient to last Lieutenant Greely's party for 
at least ten days; with this supply, in addition to his own resources, he would be 
the better able to face the forty miles of the route before reaching Cape Hawks in 
latitude 79° 30' N., where, although he would not find the expected Depot A, he would 
find a boat and a supply of biscuit left there by the British expedition. The party 
-would then be sixty miles from Cape Sabine, where they knew that a cache of 240 
xations had been left by the British Expedition, and where, in addition, we now know 
lie would find the stores left by the "Proteus" [" Neptune"] in 1882, besides a whale- 
tboat, also the 500 rations left by Lieutenant Garlington and Lieutenant Colwell, three 
:aniles west of Cape Sabine, in 1883. 

Reaching this position would probably be the most difficult part of the journey, but 
*once at Cape Sabine, and strengthened by this supply of provisions, and supplemented 
-with an additional whale-boat, it would be an extraordinary misadventure if an op- 
portunity did not offer in the fall of 1883 for the party to cross over Smith Sound and 
Teach the neighborhood of Littleton Island. No doubt extreme disappointment would 
• he felt when the absence of a relief party and want of a winter station at Life-Boat 
Cove ("Polaris" winter quarters) was discovered; but as, in all probability, Lieuten- 
ant Garlington's record announcing the loss of the "Proteus" would have been found 
at Cape Sabine, the disappointment would have been in a great measure anticipated. 

Once arrived at Littleton Island, with the help of the dep6t left there in 1882 by 
ithe "Proteus" ["Neptune"], and with assistance from the Eskimos of Etah, there is 
aio reason why the winter of 1883-'84 should not be passed in safety. 

If on the other hand, Lieutenant Greely and his party, owing to contingencies, 
such as sickness, may have determined, rather than risk the hazard of a boat-journey 
in 1883, to chance the arrival of a relieving ship at Discovery Bay in the fall of 1883, 
and have remained, there, the position of the party, though precarious, is not, we 
think, by any means hopeless. 

With the addition of supplies of musk oxen, birds, hares, and perhaps a few seals, 
we may hope that they will not be absolutely without supplies before August, 1884. 

The relief of Lieutenant Greely's party differs in one vital respect from the Frank- 
lin search expeditions. In that case expedition after expedition was pushed into an 
^unknown area; the uncertainty of where Franklin had been lost intensifying a hun- 
dred-fold the difficulties of the quest. 

Now there is a definite objective to strike for, and the difficulties to be overcome 
are those arising from the forces of nature in the Polar world, but in a comparatively 
well-known area. 

W T e will now suppose that the search of the relief expedition of 1884, between Cape 
York and Littleton Island and Cape Isabella, has proved fruitless; in this event the 
.con.mander of the expedition would naturally attempt to reach Cape Sabine, and 
there will probably be no very great difficulty in his making good a landing at that 

point. 

If Lieutenant Greely's party is not found there, then only two conclusions can be 
arrived at : Either they are still at Discovery Bay, or else the party has met with mis- 
fortune in its attempt to retreat southward. 

In this case the depot ship should move into Payer Harbour; the other ship should 
take advantage of any favorable movement in the ice, and, keeping to the land water, 
always carefully avoiding the main pack, proceed northwards. Patience and skill would, 
there is little doubt, be rewarded in the end, and it may reasonably be hoped that an 



APPENDIX. 18T 

opportunity of gaining Discovery Bay will offer itself during the navigable season 
of 1884. 

The east side of the entrance to Smith Sound, after being carefully examined for 
traces of the missing party, should be shunned, particularly during strong southwest 
and west winds, for those are the winds that give favorable opportunities of reaching; 
Grinnell Land and proceeding northwards, along the eastern coast. 

As a precaution, in case of an accident to the advance ship and her crew having to> 
retreat by land, depdts and a boat should be placed at or near Cape Prescott, and some 
other points further north, as proposed by Lieutenant Greely. 

It may be suggested, if not already provided for, that great advantage would accrue 
from heliography ; a pair of instruments, therefore, on both ships, and a trained oper- 
ator in each vessel, might be of the greatest service. 

We now arrive at our final consideration : Supposing the advance ship is unable* 
during the navigable season of 1884 to reach Discovery Bay, or to find Lieutenant; 
Greely's party along the coast of Grinnell Land, its fate must be ascertained. 

The dep6t ship should find winter quarters, not later than the 1st September, in the 
safest and most convenient station near Payer Harbour, on the west side of Smith* 
Sound ; this would enable her sledge parties to start early in the spring of 1885, along: 
the east shore of Grinnell Land, and, with those from the advance ship, complete the 
search of the whole coast line. Payer Harbour itself has the disadvantage of being, 
somewhat too exposed a station for winter quarters, but the leader of the expedition! 
may be safely intrusted to decide that point. Port Foulke, or Pandora Harbour, offer- 
more eligible wintering stations than Payer Harbour or any other known place in its* 
vicinity on the west side of Smith Sound, but wintering on the Greenland side of the 
sound would involve uncertainty in the despatch of the sledge parties along the shores- 
of Grinnell Land in the spring of 1885, for it must be borne in mind that the ice in. 
Kennedy Channel is not to be relied on remaining unbroken during the winter months,, 
and is certain to break up early in the spring. 

No dependence should be placed on detached boat relief expeditions, except in the 
extreme case of the advance vessel becoming disabled early in navigable season of" 
1884, for no boat party can, in addition to the provisions necessary for their own sup- 
port, convey sufficient supplies to relieve a large distressed party of men, and return 
with them to their station. 

Too much reliance should not be placed by such parties on the natural resources of 
the shores of Grinnell Land. But although the British Expedition of lSTo-^ did not 
actually meet with any musk oxen, reindeer, or bears, between Port Foulke and Dis- 
covery Bay, traces of them were seen, and with good fortune a retreating boat party* 
might come across some of these animals, walrus, or a few seals. After leaving the 
warmer waters of Baffin Bay, the great breeding haunts of sea-fowl are left behind.. 
^Port Foulke is the most northern summer haunt of the little auk, where it breeds in 
countless numbers, and contributes largely to the summer food of the Eskimos of" 
Etah. Neither does Briinnich's guillemot, the well-known Arctic loom, extend iter, 
breeding range beyond the entrance of Smith Sound. Along the shores of Grinnell 
Land a few black guillemots nest, but not gregariously. At certain localities, sucb» 
as the more protected bays, a few eider ducks will be found, whilst on the fresh-water 
lakes a considerable number of brent geese rear their young. None of these birds are 
to be obtained without an expenditure of time beyond the capacity of travelling par- 
ties, with whom delay means consumption of the stores they are carrying with them.. 
The bird life of that region will not afford to sledge or boat parties more than an oc- 
casional addition to their rations, and cannot be reckoned on as a certain means of 
subsistence, such as the loomeries and aukeries of Baffin Bay afford during the breed- 
ing season of those birds. 

In conclusion, we think it would be advisable to obtain the good-will and assistance 
of the Cape York district Eskimos by the timely and judicious distribution of presents*, 
and the leader of the relief expedition should receive directions to this effect. Finally,, 
we are desirous of expressing our heartfelt sympathy with the United States regard- 
ing the object of the contemplated expedition, and our readiness to afford, at any- 
time, any information or assistance, that it may be in our power to render. 
We have the honor to be, sir, your obedient servants, 

G. S. NARES, 

Captain, E. J& 
A. H. MARKHAM, 
Captain, H. M. S. "Vernon."* 
H. W. FEILDEN, 

Major, H. B. M. Army^ 



188 



APPENDIX. 



EXHIBIT W. 

U. S. Consulate, Saint John's, N. F., Feb'y 2nd, 1884. 
Gon'l W. B. Hazen, 

Chief Signal Officer U. S. A., Washington, D. C. 

Sir: I herewith beg to enclose original agreement received from Mr. Syme for hire 
«3. S. u Proteus." I have concluded the purchase of the " Bear " and hope to get her off 
for New York next Saturday. She will have to coal and take in about 200 tons stone 
ballast in the after hold. I should recommend the hiring of some of her present 
crew, as they are all sealers and sailors. The chief engineer, Mr. Stynes, holds a first- 
class certificate, and has been used to the seal fishery as engineer for a number of 
years. 

He was employed by me as engineer of the "Gulnare," Lieut. Doane, on an Arctic 
trip. If you can use your influence to get him employment I shall consider it a per- 
sonal favor. Any stores required, such as boots, clothing, dogs, meat, &c, had better 
be engaged here as soon as possible. 



I am, sir, your ob't servant, 



THOS. N. MOLLOY. 



Gen'l W. B. Hazen, U. S. A., 

Washington, D. C. 



[Extract.] 
U. S. Consulate, Saint John's, N. F., Feb'y 2, '84. 



Dear Sir : Auything required by the expedition, such as boots, had better be en- 
gaged this month, other articles later in the season. If you can induce the commander 
of the expedition to take his choice of men from the present crew, I think it would 
be to the advantage of the expedition, as they are all experienced sailors and sealers. 
The engineer, Styne, is a first-class officer, and has a great desire to proceed. He was 
chief engineer of the "Gulnare," under Lieut. Doane, II. S. A., on an Arctic trip. 



Yours, very respectfully, 



THOS. N. MOLLOY. 



Abstract miscellaneous correspondence. 




6 

7 
8 

9 

10 

11 

12 

13 
14 
15 
16 



Dec. 21,1883 

Dec. 19,1883 

Dec. 19,1883 
Dec. 27,1883 



Secretary of tlie Navy . 



5 Sept. 11, 1883 



Sept, 14, 1883 



Sept. 
Sept. 

Sept. 

Sept. 

Sept. 

Sept. 

Sept. 
Sept. 
Sept. 
Oct. 



15, 1883 
16, 1883 

16, 1883 

17, 1883 

17, 1883 

18, 1883 

18, 1883 

18, 1883 

24, 1883 

9, 1883 



Commander H. C. Taylor, U. S. 
Navy. 

Lieut. George T. T. Patterson, 
14th Infantry, U. S. Army. 

General W. B. Hazen, Chief 
Signal Officer. 



Secretary of State 



George E. Tyson. 



J. E. Marcussen. 
J. H. Stevens . . . 



Lieut, J. E. Macklin, 11th TJ. S. 

Infantry. 
Lieut. W. P. Evans, 19th TJ. S. 
Infantry. 
George W. Melville, Chief 

Engineer, TJ. S. N. 
Gustav F. Seivern 



C. O. Duthok.. 
Joseph Keefer , 
J. B. Brainard.. 
James Craig . . . 



Transmits communication from Commander H. C. 
Taylor, U. S. Navy, requesting that Lieut. N. R. 
Usher, TJ. S. Navy, he heard hefore Board. 

Recommends Lieut. N. R. Usher, U. S. Navy, as a 
suitable person to proceed upon a relief expedi- 
tion. 

Requests his name he submitted for duty with 
proposed expedition. 

Incloses communications from the files of his 
office of persons suggesting plans of, and volun- 
teering to accompany an expedition for relief of 
Lieutenant Greely and party. 
fTransmits, through War Department, a commu- 
nication dated Uxbridge, Ontario, Canada, Aug. 
28, 1883,witb inclosures, from R.Comniander John 
P. Cheyne, British Royal Navy, relative to relief 
of Lieutenant Greely Tby means of balloons. 

Through War Department, offering his services for 
relief of Greely party. 

Yolunteers to accompany expedition. 

Presents a plan for the rescue of Lieutenant Greely 
by means of sleds. 

Desires to be one of a Greely relief party. 

Offers his services in connection with proposed ex- 
pedition for relief of Greely. 

Submits through Navy Department a method for 
relief of Greely party. 

Calls attention to a boat invented by him for use in 
Arctic regions. 

Recommends use of balloons in searching for Greely. 

Requests employment on relief expedition. 

Requests employment on relief expedition. 

Requests, through Navy Department, an appoint- 
ment for his son as geologist on proposed expe- 
dition. 



APPENDIX. 

Abstract miscellaneous correspondence — Continued. 



189 




17 Nov. 6,1883 



18 Dec. 7, 1883 

19 Dec. 12,1883 

20 Dec. 13, 1883 

21 ; Dec. 15, 1883 



22 
23 



40 
41 

42 



43 



44 
45 



46 



48 

49 
50 



Dec. 21,1883 
Dec. 21, 1874 



24 Dec. 20,1883 



25 Dec. 21, 1883 

26 Dec. 23, 1883 

27 ! Dec. 28, 1883 

28 Jan. 5, 1884 



29 Jan. 7, 1884 

30 Dec. 31,1883 

31 Dec. 31,1883 

32 Jan. 8, 1884 



33 i Jan. 10, 1884 

34 Jan. 10, 1884 



35 Jan. 11, 1884 

36 Jan. 7, 1884 

37 Jan. 14,1884 

38 i Dec. 31, 1883 

39 Jan. 15, 1884 



Jan. 15,1884 
Jan. 9, 1884 
Jan. 18,1884 



Lieut. P. H. Ray, 8th U. S. 
Infantry. 

Lieut. W. C. De Hart, U. S. R. 

M. 

L. E. Ralston 

Major H. W. Feilden, H. B. M. 

Army. 
Lieut. W. C. Brown, 1st TJ. S. 

Cavalry. 

H. H. McGrew 

Dr. A. P. Mason 

Adjutant-General, TJ. S. A 



.do 



General N. A. Miles, TJ. S. A . . 
Cyrus Smith 

F.B. J.Rust .* 

Dr.LC.Rosse 

Sergt. C. Madsen, 5th Cav'y . . . 
Dr. F. E. Coulter 

S. K. Parson, agent for Hud- 
son's Bay Co., Montreal, 
Canada. 

Win. Macnaughtan's Sons . . . 

Chief Clerk "War Department 

¥m. Macnaughtan's Sons 

R. Laidlaw, E. Heimhacher, 

and E. S. Eveleigh. 
P.B. J.Rust 

L. T. Coggins, for Otis Young. 

Secretary of War 



J. W. Norman . . . 
E. M. Philibaum . 
Secretary of War 



Jan. 21, 1884 Navy Department 



Jan. 10, 1884 I H. M. Sutherland , 

Jan. 11, 1884 W. Gibson, vice-consul, Glas- 
gow, Scotland. 



Jan. 22,1884 



47 Jan. 23,1884 



Jan. 25,1884 

Jan. 26,1884 
Jan. 29,1884 



51 ! Jan. 29, 1884 



Secretary of War 



Wm. Macnaughtan's Sons 

H.Clay 

Dr. Thomas H. Carroll 

Navy Department 

Hudson's Bay Company . . 



Subject. 



Tenders his services to command expedition, pro- 
vided same is sent out under auspices of Chief 
Signal Officer. 

Offers bis services as commander of expedition. 

Volunteers to accompany expedition. 

Submits his views relative to relieving Greely party. 

Requests to be detailed on relief expedition. 

Offers services to accompany Greely relief. 

Offers to accompany expedition as surgeon. 

Furnishes copy of telegram to Lieutenant Schwat- 
ka, TJ. S. A., requesting him to prepare a paper as 
to organization and conduct of party for relief of 
Lady Franklin Bay people, together with copy 
of Lieutenant Schwatka's reply. 

Transmits copy of telegram from Lieutenant 
Schwatka stating that his recommendation for 
Greely's relief would be sent by mail. 

Recommends Lieutenant Schwatka to command 
Greely relief expedition. 

Desires the adoption of his fuel-saving device for 
steam-boilers or heating-stoves by the proposed 
expedition. 

Expresses willingness to appear before Board and 
give experience acquired as member of scientific 
corps of Dutch Arctic Expedition, 1882-3. 

Declines to appear before Board. 

Tenders his services to accompany expedition. 

Requests, through War Department, appointment 
as pbysician to expedition. 

States inability of his company to furnish within 
60 days sufficient reindeer-skins to make 100 suits 
of clothing. 

Submit estimate for buckskin clothing. 

States War Department is unable to print proceed- 
ings of Board on account of reduced state of ap- 
propriation. 

Will report in a short time whether they can supply 
reindeer-skins. 

Desire appointment as photographers to relief ex- 
pedition. 

Submits brief outline of his Arctic experience. 

Submits plan for constructing ships for Arctic 
service. 

Transmits copies of letters from the State Depart- 
ment, dated the 11th and 12th instant, inclosing 
copies of dispatches from United States Minister 
to England respecting steps to be taken for 
Greely's relief. 

Requests employment with relief party. 

Volunteers services for expedition. 

Transmits copies of letters, dated the 16th and 17th 
instant, from Department of State, inclosing cop- 
ies of telegrams, dated the 10th, 16th, and 17th in- 
stant, from TJ. S. consul at Saint John's, Newfound- 
land, respecting the purchase of a vessel to be 
used for relief of Lady Franklin Bay expedition. 

Calls attention to letters from L. Y. Coggins for 
Otis Young, Frank Reynolds, and Robert Laid- 
law & Co., previously forwarded without letters 
of transmittal. 

Volunteers to accompany expedition. 

Transmits through Lieut. J. A. Tobin, TJ. S. N., a 
memorandum from Lewis T. Merrow & Son, ship 
brokers, Glasgow, Scotland, respecting the sale 
of a steamer to the TJ. S. Government for the re- 
lief expedition. 

Transmits copy of letter, dated 19th instant, from 
State Department, inclosing copy of telegram 
from TJ. S. Minister at London, England, relative 
to purchase of vessel for Arctic navigation. 

State they shortly expect to have information from 
Hudson's Bay Co. relative to reindeer-skins. 

Transmits, through Hon. A. S. Willis, a plan for re- 
lief of Greely. 

Requests appointment as surgeon. 

Submits copy of letter from Messrs. Delamater & 
Co., of New York, relative to building a steamer 
for Greely expedition. 

State they are unable to furnish in 60 days suffi- 
cient reindeer-skins for 100 suits of clothing. 



INDEX. 



Page. 

Berry, Lieut. Robert M., U. S. N., testimony of 82,98 

Bessels, Dr. Emile, testimony of 62,79 

Board, full report of , 3 

proceedings of 19 

Executive order creating 19 

preliminary report of procurement of vessels 20 

preliminary report of, detail of naval officer to command expedition 79 
letter of, to Secretary of the Navy, transmitting acknowledgment 

of receipt of paper prepared by Captain Nares and others 106 

letter of, to Captain Nares and others, acknowledging receipt of pa- 
per on relief expedition 106 

letter of, to Secretary of War, regarding paper received from Cap- 
tain Nares and others 106 

final report of 107 

Caches of 'provisions and boats, extracts from official and other publica- 
tions descriptive of (Exhibit U) 177 

Clapp, Capt. W. H., U. S. A., in relation to boats, sledges, tents, &c. (Ex- 
hibit N) 148-150 

Clay, Lieut. Thomas J., U. S. A., suggestions concerning relief expedition 

(Exhibit C) 113 

Colwell, Lieut. J. C, U. S. N., testimony of 68,78,80 

Danenhower, Lieut. John W., U. S. N., testimony of 86 

Davis, Capt. George W., U. S. A., suggesting plan for relief expedition (Ex- 
hibit B) 112 

Feilden, Maj. H. H., H. B. M. Army, suggestions concerning relief expedi- 
tion (Exhibit E) 116 

expresses wish to accompany relief expedition 117 

jointly with Captains Nares and Markham, suggesting plan for re- 
lief expedition (Exhibit V) 184 

Garlington, Lieut. Ernest A. , U. S. A. , testimony of 34 

Goss, G. C, ship-builder, testimony of 99 

proposition to construct vessels (Exhibit L) 135 

Greely, Lieut. A. W., U. S. A., orders and instructions to and reports from 

(Exhibit M) 136 

Hooper, Capt. C. L., U. S. Revenue Marine, suggestions for employment of 

revenue steamer on relief expedition (Exhibit O) 151,152, 153 

Hunt, Lieut. H. J. , U. S. Navy, testimony of 31 

Kennan, George, testimony of 71 

letter to Lieutenant Greely, giving suggestions in regard to 

Arctic life and traveling (Exhibit P) 153 

McCalla, Lieut. Commander B. H., U. S. N., suggesting plan for relief ex- 
pedition, Exhibit A Ill 

Macnaughtan's Sons, William, in regard to reindeer clothing, Exhibit T.... 176 

Map of Smith Sound and adjacent waters, face 178 

Markham, Capt. A. H., R. N., jointly with Captain Nares and Major Fielden, 

suggesting plan for relief expedition, Exhibit V 184 

Medical stores, list of, furnished United States steamer " Rodgers," Exhibit R 169 

list of, furnished Point Barrow expedition, Exhibit R 171 

list of, furnished Lady Franklin Bay expedition, Exhibit R.. 174 

Melv lie, Chief Engineer, Geo. W., U. S. N., testimony of 91 

Miscellaneous correspondence, abstract of 188 

Molloy, Thos. N., in regard to purchase of steamer " Bear," &c, Exhibit W. 188 
Nares, Capt. Sir George S., R. N., jointly with Captain Markham and Major 

Feilden suggesting plan for relief expedition, Exhibit V 183, 184 

Norman, J. W., testimony of 58, 77 

concerning depots of provisions, Exhibit S 176 

Parson, S. K., concerning reindeer clothing, Exhibit T 177 



192 INDEX. 

Page. 

Pike, Captain Richard, testimony of 54, 77 

Kay, Lieut. P. H.„ testimony of 46, 100 

Reynolds, Frank, suggestions concerning vessels, &c, Exhibit 1 121, 122 

Schwatka, Lieut. Frederick, suggesting plan for relief expedition, Exhibit D. 114 

Sledge, design for, prepared by order of Board, face 150 

Subsistence stores, list of, furnished United States steamer " Rodgers," Ex- 
hibit Q 164 

list of, furnished Point Barrow expedition, Exhibit Q . . 165 
list of, furnished Ladv Franklin Bay expedition, Ex- 
hibit Q 166-168 

Thornton, Sir Edward, concerning depot of provisions at Polaris Bay, Ex- 
hibit H • 121 

Tyson, Capt. George E., testimony of 21 

Usher, Lieut. N. R., United States Navy, suggesting plan for relief expedi- 
tion, Exhibit G 119 

Wales, Surgeon-General Philip S., United States Navy, sanitary suggestions 

for guidance of Arctic expeditions, Exhibit K 122 

Wildes, Commander Frank, United States Navy, suggesting plan for relief 

expedition, Exhibit F 118 



REPORT 



OF 



BOARD OF OFFICERS 



TO CONSIDER AN 



EXPEDITION FOR THE RELIEF OF LIEUT. GREE1J 

AND PARTY. 



BY AUTHORITY OF THE SECRETARY OF THE NAVY. 




WASH 

WASH I XCJTOX: 

( ! O V K R N M E JS X PR] N T L\(f OFFICE 

1884. 



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